In the Shadows
by Sky Venom
Summary: No one has to know what we do in the shadows. Thorin is King Under the Mountain, but the gold sickness is back. Fíli has much on his shoulders, but gets no rewards for it. He wishes for only one night of selfishness... Alys, a Lady of the Ancient Families is feeling lost in a new place, among new people, with no one to guard her in the challenges of adulthood. dark!Fíli/OC
1. Chapter 1

In the shadows

1

Fíli was suffering through the most boring one of the most boring nights. Which, for him, meant feasts. He was nursing a good mug of ale, however, he could not predict, for how long. He felt hunted. All those simpering, fickle _ladies_ tried to catch him for a round of dance, and he hated it, passionately. He hated dancing. He hated being disrupted and leaving his drink half-drunk. He hated that all the _ladies_ wanted his attention, like everyone else in the mountain. He wanted to be selfish for a little while, and during feasts, he could afford it less than at any other time.

He only wanted to disappear into the shadows, to a dark corner, with a pretty lass willing to have some fun… but there were no dark corners in the hall tonight and there were no willing lasses, only _ladies_ , who all were just the same. Boring and hungry for attention.

His eyes found Kíli, returning through a side door – probably from a dark corner, from the pleasuring embrace of some serving lass. Damn Kíli and his luck to be born second. He had the time and the good mood to charm anyone, while Fíli was tired by the days' activities – reading through contracts, making up for the King's… well, shortcomings, checking on security affairs, making decisions, listening to petty quarrels, enduring his long time friend (headache) and his mother's ideas… He might only be the heir of the kingdom, but he was the real ruler behind (or not so behind?) the scenes.

Thorin was mad. It was a well-known truth, but no one dared to voice it.

Thorin had fought the dragon sickness once, but a sickness of the mind was not so easy to get rid of. Once it appeared, it made home in the head, and has never gone away, not really. It was a fight every morning, just to get out of the bed, to not go to the treasure room before dressing up, before breakfast, before the day's council meeting or in any short breaks one was allowed during the day. Thorin fought it valiantly at first. Later, he fought it strenuously, then unyieldingly, and then he broke. No one could determine the exact moment when he failed, but with time, little things added up to make it clear: Thorin was under the spell of gold again.

No one who witnessed his struggle blamed him.

However, he was unfit to rule anymore, but they had to keep it secret. Balin came up with a plan, involving only those absolutely necessary. Thorin must be supervised day and night. As the heir, Fíli was already involved with the affairs of the kingdom, so he was to make the decisions in the King's name. Balin acted like a regent to him, though, which Fíli hated. So was he or was he not good enough to rule?

There was only one worse part than doing all the work without recognition and being questioned because of his age.

It was Kíli.

Kíli was never involved in the scheme of pretending all was well. Since he wasn't the Crown Prince, he was less involved with serious matters, thus had much free time on his hands and used it well. He did not even notice Thorin's downward spiral, so – as the mighty Balin decided – he did not need to be informed. All these differences and secrets destroyed the brothers' relationship, and lately, they had barely spoken beyond common courtesies. Fíli missed it dearly, but Kíli seemed not. He enjoyed the freedom which should have been shared by both of them. Fíli was jealous and also hated himself for accepting all these responsibilities. He could have said no.

That was a lie, though.

In all his life, he was raised to be the King Under the Mountain one day. He never knew another way, it was his path, and he always looked forward to it. He couldn't say no, ever, to some gain of power. He wanted it, craved it with all his being. He was ambitious, maybe overly so, but he did not know another way. He was always to become a King. And to be a King, you must be able to handle power.

Fíli was naturally good at it. By a young age, he could make tough decisions easily, yet with consideration. Many thought Thorin to be great to be followed, but those who had ever seen Fíli in action knew that he was even more promising.

Balin knew, too. Yet, he told Fíli to stay in the shadows.

…except for these occasions, these _feasts_ and _celebrations_ , which were about to be seen – to keep up appearances.

Thorin sat on the dais during the whole evening. He was supposed to watch and enjoy the festivities, to make sure his people were content tonight. Fíli knew that really, he sat on the dais dressed in golden jewels, surrounded by golden plates and cutlery and cups and… gold. Balin made sure that even those around Thorin wore enough gold to make the King less disturbed by leaving the treasure room.

Balin was always fussing about Thorin so much that Fíli sometimes suspected there is more to it than Balin admitted. It was a funny idea.

Sometimes Fíli wished that there were someone fussing about him that much. Well, his mother, Mahal bless her loving heart, did fuss about him quite much, but he had to share her with Kíli. Kíli always needed more caring than him, it was a universal truth. And Kíli always got what he wished for.

Like a willing lass tonight.

Fíli wanted one, too, but he had to be seen, and he was, by all the _ladies_ and their _noble families_. He hated them all with a passion. None of these _ladies_ could have been accused with giving a... with being interested in his pleasures or his person at the least, they only wanted to be seen with the Crown Prince. Fíli had to oblige according to the traditions: dwarrowdams were always few in number, which made them precious - and which made many of them overplaying their self-importance. Dwarrow customs required that when a lass approached a lad during festivities, the lad should turn his full attention toward her.

Fíli respected traditions, since traditions were the foundation of a strong realm. At the same time, his evening made him to reconsider his opinion. His evening followed a painful pattern: getting an ale, enjoying some sip of it, then a _lady_ approaches and he should leave his drink behind to dance until the music halts; then start again his quest to drink at least a single whole mug of ale in peace.

Right now, he was in phase one – the nursing the ale phase. The calm before the storm phase. The waiting for the other shoe to drop phase. The… watching as another little _lady_ approaches him phase. Damn.

"My Prince," she curtsied. "May I disturb your solitude for a dance?"

"Of course, My Dear Lady." Fíli stood and bowed, trying to recall her name. He couldn't. "I'm honored!"

"Thank you, My Prince," she curtsied again, her eyes cast down. She seemed a bit shy. Fíli appreciated shyness in a _lady._ Shy _ladies_ did not play coy, which was quite annoying when he knew he got nothing in the end. And _ladies_ gave nothing because of their virtue. He offered his hand to escort her to the dance floor, but she did not take it. "Oh, we can wait for the next song, so you can finish your drink by then, if you wish," she suggested.

"That's very considerate of you, thank you." Fíli answered, surprised, and then added: "Which also makes me horribly ashamed that I cannot recall your name."

The lass had not yet raised her eyes, and even blushed.

"I'm the Lady Alys, daughter of Lord Fronn. We arrived some weeks ago from the Iron Hills, My Prince."

"Ah, one of the Iron Lords… I might have been too busy sampling his products to notice the treasure he brought into our mountain. I apologize for my mistake."

The lass was still nervous, and Fíli felt bad for her. She was the first one of the _ladies_ who did not demand his immediate attention, and he did not even remember her. "Come, sit with me then," he offered. The lass sat down beside him, grateful for not having to look him in the eyes. Fíli sipped his ale slowly, trying to find a topic for conversation, then he settled on the dullest of all:

"Tell me, My Lady Alys, how do you find Erebor?"

… _like anyone would ever say anything barely unique to me to that question…_ Fíli thought ironically.

"It's very beautiful, My Prince," she answered. _What a surprise._

"Do you enjoy your time here?"

"Yes. I have already acquainted myself with most of the Ladies here, and I think Erebor is marvelous as a kingdom, the surroundings as well as the people. I admire that in such a short time it became so prosperous and comfortable. You must be working hard for it all the time, My Prince."

"Thank you for the compliments, My Lady. I must admit that my family, the council and I are working hard, but it is also a compliment to our people, who does the groundwork while we are sitting at tables, talking and planning."

"You are very modest," she looked up at him, a bit less nervous now. Fíli smiled.

"I'm only telling the truth, Lady Alys, but thank you again, for the compliments."

For a while, they sat in silence. Fíli thought about conversing, but the lass seemed at ease, and he did not have the inclination to talk only for courtesy. Alys was sweet, too sweet for a _lady_ , and he could endure her company, but he did not wish for it. He swallowed the last of his ale, contently, then stood.

"May I ask for a dance with the sweet Lady?"

This time, Alys accepted his hand and they took their positions among the dancers. The music was slow and the melody romantic, which required that they stood closer to each other. Fíli suspected that _Lady_ Alys did not mind sitting through the rolling and jumping of the previous dance, compared to a bit of time sitting alone with him and now almost cuddling to him. When he noticed that Alys was throwing smirking glimpses toward other _ladies_ , he voiced his suspicions.

"You planned it."

"What do you mean, My Prince?"

"This all. Trying to endear yourself to me. To get them envy you."

She was silent for a while, and when she turned to him, her smile was gone again. At least, she was looking him in the eyes, and as it turned out, she did not deny anything.

"And what if I did? Did you not enjoy your drink? Or do you mind dancing with someone in silence? Then what do you want?"

Fíli was taken aback by her outburst.

"Whatever. At least you are an honest one," he shrugged.

"Thank you for the compliment, My Prince," she answered, barely trying to hide her hurt feelings.

"If you want to be sneaky, be better. And don't get mad when you are caught. And I don't really care about…" Fortunately, Fíli realized how offensive he was, and stopped. Alys looked angry. "I apologize. Actually, I enjoyed you more, than any other tonight… or in a long time."

"Thank you," she huffed, then her smile appeared again, full of self-contentment. _Of course, she is just a lady,_ Fíli sighed. "It may sound ridiculous to you, but it means much to me."

"That I enjoy your company more than others?" She nodded. "That's not really an accomplishment. I hate these gatherings. I feel like a prize to win, and I am quite bored."

"There is no need to be so rude, My Prince," she smiled sweetly at him, and Fíli could not help thinking that he was missing something.

"There is no need to guard my tongue if you are smiling when I offend you."

"Right."

They danced in silence for a little while, Fíli feeling more and more uncomfortable second by second. Alys seemed shy, but she really wasn't. She was a good observer and cunning and shameless. She was intriguing, just a little bit, but more than those others.

"If you don't care about me, than why do you care to please me? Is my position really that attractive?" he asked.

"Yes, My Prince, it is."

"I won't marry you."

"I don't want you to."

"Good, that's settled then," Fíli said, but his curiosity wasn't settled. "What about the other ladies? Do they want to marry me, or am I only a mean to entertain yourselves?"

He could tell she was surprised by the question. She contemplated shortly what should she tell him, then she started to explain.

"I think many wants to marry you, but we all know that you will probably make a political match. So it isn't really us who matters, but our respective fathers and kin. Still, we, Ladies of the most Ancient Families, are very competitive. We were raised to become wives of powerful Dwarf Lords, and we are very accomplished. Some are better than others, but our skills are important. So we compete."

"In what? Sewing? Dressing up? Owning the most jewels?" he asked dismissively.

"You might be laughing at me right now, but you are ridiculing every Lady of the Ancient Families. You will marry one of us eventually." Her smile turned sadder than before. "And we are secretly hoping that not only our families will be considered, but ourselves, too. So we all want to be the best."

"And who is the best? Are you?" Fíli was interested in the topic, since it was his marriage, but also angered by what he heard. He knew that he will have to marry, but he held no hope to have a say in choosing the bride. The _ladies_ were so naïve to believe differently.

"I am not, My Prince."

"At least you are still honest. Or is that false modesty to gain my sympathies?"

"Then, I am clearly taking the wrong way, My Prince," she glared at him.

"I am sorry. I am being rude, again, My Lady," he sighed. He felt out of sorts. Usually, he did not talk, only answered when being asked. Recently, he stopped being curious. She was… different, and he wondered if she could be convinced to make a tour around the balconies upstairs, or some place like that…

"It doesn't matter. You are the Crown Prince. You are allowed to be rude," she said in a flat voice, which made Fíli cringe. He was not raised to be rude. At the same time, he felt encouraged by her words. He's the Crown Prince, the one every _lady_ dreams of.

"Would you like a kiss?"

"What?" Fíli smirked: she was frozen. "No! We can't, here…"

"Not here, of course."

"Oh."

"Oh." He could see the wheels in her brain turning. "You could become the best of the ladies in kissing me, perhaps. You see, actually you would be the first one of them I kiss."

"The first?"

He nodded.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not supposed to… to…" Alys was searching for words, which escaped her. Oh, she would very much like to go kissing with him, but her reputation, her family, her future…

The song ended, and Fíli bowed. He took her hand in his and kissed it.

"Thank you for the dance, Lady Alys. I really _enjoy_ discovering your _dancing skills_."

She felt his words a little bit too suggestive, which made her incapable of meeting his eyes. She would not. She could not. She should not.

Oh, she so wanted to best them once.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi! I did not write anything for a long while, neither in English, nor in my first language. Actually, I should be working on my thesis, but a little disraction can't hurt. I like to think about how Fíli copes with his role, and this is one of my ideas. I hope you will like it!

Sky


	2. Chapter 2

2

Alys knew she was a fool.

How could she be proud of her achievement when it must stay a secret? A deeply hidden, unspoken, taken to the grave secret.

Does that mean she can never marry?

How could she? Why did she?

She was a fool.

She was a fool, who accepted the Crown Prince's questionable favors for a night – and it was not even so pleasurable.

In the end, it didn't matter. What happened happened, and she was the one to live her life in shame. She knew well the risks and consequences, yet, she accepted.

Thrice a fool.

.

Contrary to her silent morning laments, the events of the night made her stand just a little taller, smile just a little haughtier and shine just a little more radiantly. She felt they noticed, but she knew no one understood. At the least, the Crown Prince was clever and very cautious.

Days passed, a week, and she knew inside that she was forever ruined.

The images of that night were forever burnt into her memories.

It seemed that she could think of nothing else.

.

"Would you like…" she heard someone asking her. ' _…a kiss?'_ her mind supplied the end of the sentence, with the husky voice of a certain blond lad.

A lad, simple as that, that was how she came to think of him.

A lad with selfish needs and uncaring hurry to get what he wanted. She could not identify him as the second most important person of the realm.

"…a cup of tea? It's a special brand from the East, my cousin Heeren has kin in the Orocarni, they often send him gifts, which…" Alys recognized the neverending enthusiasm of Lady Hena. She felt disappointed to discover she was daydreaming again. It happened often in the last days.

.

…like when her father introduced her to a merchant from Ered Luin. He was young, but he was also pleasant and entertained her with tales and compliments. Her father took them to show them the view from the upper balconies of the Great Hall. She guessed well, which one he would choose.

The merchant admired the view, which her father happily explained him. She was standing beside them, trying to forget why the cushions of one bench looked newer than of the other, or who knocked the lantern out of place, or what she lost in this very place… She was actually thinking about her hair beads. Not that other thing… that she can never have back.

Well, she should stop hoping for the beads as well, it's not likely anyone would search for them.

She could not tell the same about the other thing, by the way. It will be searched – and never found.

.

Tales told that eating can be sensual. She never understood it before.

Ladies were often served with fruits during the day, between meals. She enjoyed them – their sweetness and softness and juiciness – but she never thought to compare them to something… else.

 _Yes._

 _She said yes._

 _She was desperate, because her dress was not as fancy as Lady Maja's and her jewels were outshined by many. She was never funny enough to be considered outstandingly easy-going, and her topics of interest were not for celebrations._

 _In fact, her only accomplishment tonight was that she was asked to be kissed by the Crown Prince._

 _She should really get used to it by the age of seventy-five. There were always others who excelled more, she was passable, good even, in most of the territories young ladies were expected to discover, yet, she never got to be the best._

 _Except for the Crown Prince._

 _She should really not consider his offer, it was outrageous. Of course he was interested, it was a well known fact that young dwarves tended to ask for taking liberties, but Ladies of good breed and Ancient Families were supposed to be unwavering in their virtue._

 _Yet, he only asked for a kiss. No one shall ever know. She told him as much._

 _He told her to meet her on the third balcony by the second corridor on the left._

 _"_ _It's dark enough, hidden in the shadows by the moon too," he affirmed. "Meet me there and I will show you the sweetest thing in life," he promised._

 _She did what he said._

 _He did, too._

Fruits never tasted the same as before.

.

Her most horribly deep memories surfaced when her mother started to comb her luxuriously dark locks. Alys always liked the intimacy of this act, she shared many secrets with her mother during the time Mother combed and braided her hair. She was sitting on the soft rug, Mother behind her. First, Mother took out her beads, clasps and jewels. Alys did not like her braids to be too intricate; she preferred simple, but elegant hairstyles. Mother softly undone all the braids, searching for knots, and she combed and brushed her hair methodically with three different combs, each softer than the previous. She loved the last one the most: the brush made of boar bristle was softly stroking her locks, making them shine. Mother then started braiding, which lulled her to a very calm, half-unconscious state…

 _Kisses by Fíli made her almost undone. His mouth was demanding and she answered his demands eagerly. His arms circled her waist, sometimes he touched her cheeks, her arms – and her hair._

 _She remembered the shock when he released the first of her braids._

 _"_ _What?" he asked impatiently._

 _"_ _What are you doing?"_

 _"_ _Things," he shrugged. She was angered by his nonchalance._

 _"_ _Stop it!"_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _These… things!"_

 _"_ _Why? It seemed you enjoyed my attentions."_

 _After a short silence, she answered: "You only asked for a kiss."_

 _"_ _And I got several. Which made my blood boil. You know, around the time when you buried your hands in my hair and your lips were caressing my moustache... You should do it again," he commanded._

 _Alys was taken aback. The insolent brat!_

 _Yet, when Fíli's fingers weaved through her beard for the first time…_

 _She knew what he meant._

 _Her braids did not remain intact for long. She knew she would have to sneak home unseen, but right now, she did not care._

 _When he pulled her hair commanding her to take a different position, she felt sort of violated compared to her courteous life, but it was also liberating._

 _When he stepped back and took his hands off her, she knew it was addictive, too._

… which she could not afford anymore.

.

One evening, her family was invited to dinner with some old acquaintances from the Iron Hills. Food was delicious and drink was plenty. She preferred the latter. She wanted to forget, and she heard drinking can help you bury your sorrows. Was she sorry about her decision at all? She did not know. After several drinks (that foreign liquor tasted good and was strong), she did not care anymore. Her mind became clouded, her tongue heavy, and her stomach was stirring.

 _A long time ago, when she was a mere child, sometimes she was sick in the stomach. It happened to her more often than to others, and she remembered the feeling clearly enough._

 _Right now, she had a strange feeling in her stomach, again. At first she was afraid that she had eaten something wrong, and how humiliating it would be to be sick in the presence of the Crown Prince, but after a moment of panic, she realized that it was not the food._

 _It was not her digestion system getting upset, the stirring came from lower, which should be her woman parts… Oh, Mahal._

 _She felt the feeling get stronger when Fíli softly bit her lip, releasing a soft groan._

 _"_ _I want you so," he whispered, and she noticed a lump below his belt. His… manly part, she realized. The stirring in her stomach became throbbing, aching with emptiness, when he pushed himself closer._

 _"_ _Did you just moan?" he asked amusedly._

 _"_ _I did not!" she denied outright, but she was not sure._

 _"_ _So you feel it, too," he concluded. "We should not stop."_

 _He was kissing her again, pulling her closer and swirling her to lean her back to the sidewall. She wanted to protest, but the aching became stronger, and his touches promised more pleasure. He pulled himself back, and she looked him in the eyes. His pupils were dilated so that the blue of his eyes were barely noticeable. She wanted him to come back closer, to fill her emptiness and make that aching go away._

She should stop drinking, she thought. She did not like this kind of stirring, and drinking did not bring her release.

.

After the night in question, Alys knew there were changes in her body. She was wondering if these changes were visible or not; her clothes fit just right as before, so she did not worried much about her public appearances. Clothes were good.

Being clotheless however, was another piece of cake.

Dwarves did not mind being naked. Ladies of the Ancient Families could afford to have private bathtubs, with maids to fill it and help them clean up, but public baths in the mountain were very popular. It was a good meeting place, and for the Ladies, an excellent place to be competitive again: to show off their figures. Alys liked the public bath. The naturally warm water was pleasant, the mood was cheerful and after, she felt relaxed and renewed in body and soul.

She had a good figure too, she was admired for it.

 _By the time her mind was clear from his kisses, she found her skirt was pushed up to reveal her thighs and his hands were touching her in places where not even her bathing maids touched her before._

 _She gasped, when he grasped her bottom._

 _"_ _Such a fine arse, My Lady," he said. She blushed for the inappropriate language, ignoring how inappropriate her whole position was._

He liked her thighs, she knew. He paid so much attention to them and she was still shivering when she remembered.

Being naked made her wish for the touch of another recently, but there was none to touch her the way she craved it. She did not understand; he did not even properly undress her!

 _He was a bit annoyed about her refined dress. He pushed her skirt away impatiently, then he made her keep it from his way. He lifted one of her leg to his waist and then touched that throbbing place down there…_

 _Then she heard him laugh._

 _"_ _I think I did not understand well, what did you just say?"_

 _"_ _Nothing," she sighed._

 _"_ _It was like 'aaaaah' or maybe 'oooh!'" he smirked. "Does it mean that you want me to continue?"_

 _"_ _I did not…!" Alys tried to complain, but she was not exactly aware of her surroundings, except for the need to be consumed by the dwarf standing by her._

 _"_ _Do you want me to stop?"_

 _"_ _Dare not stop!"_

 _He kissed her ferociously, and touched her again. Lightly, a finger asked for entrance into her body, and she shifted a bit to allow him. She felt her muscles move, bringing him closer, like he could not be close enough. When he suddenly let go of her, she felt cheated._

 _"_ _Come back!" she demanded wantonly._

 _"_ _I will!" he laughed. "A little patience, please, to get my… hey, I'm here."_

 _He must have unfastened his belt, because she felt his nakedness between her thighs. It was not his hand anymore._

 _"_ _What… will you… do to me?" she hesitated before leaning into his embrace again._

 _"_ _I'm gonna fuck you so hard that it will burn into your mind till the end of the times," he whispered. His breath was tingling her ear, but there was another feeling, his hardness touching her thighs lightly, like he was asking for entrance, but then, he was not asking anymore. A sharp pain shot through her, while he took her earlobe in between his teeth._

 _"_ _Shhh," he said. "Don't want to be discovered, sweetheart!"_

 _He pushed his cock into her, slowly, with small pushes, and when she tried to cry out, he kissed her again. Her mind became surprisingly clear, realizing what she was doing. Shame and regret overwhelmed her. She tried to get rid of him with all her strength, but when the first pain lessened, she stopped struggling._

 _With a last push, he was completely inside her. He let her adapt to his size, then grabbed her bottom and started to move._

 _She was trying not to lose her balance, but it was not easy. He moved faster and faster, and she felt pleasure override her previous pain, and also the emptiness inside her lessened considerably. Yet, she was far from satisfaction._

 _She wanted him to kiss her again, but he tilted his head back. Then, suddenly, he pushed harder and deeper, then pulled out his cock and stepped back, groaning._

 _She was empty again._

She had bruises on the inner side of her thighs. She wondered if his hands left marks on her bottom. She needed to hide herself, at least for a while.

She was constantly feeling a disturbing emptiness, surprisingly both in body and soul. She wasn't sure if this change was visible, but she could not afford to take more risks – so she hid.

.

Tea parties were fancy events, for tea was expensive and rare in Erebor. Trade routes were not yet safe enough for merchants to bring luxury products.

Unlike most, Lady Hena had kin in a very wide range, which made her able to get her hands on rare luxuries. She liked to boast about it in her own kindly enthusiastic way. Alys thought her to be a good person, but a bit on the dumb side. Still, she could endure her gatherings easily.

"Would you like…" _'a kiss?'_ her mind supplied the end of the sentence, but she heard the real one, too: "some tea?"

She was daydreaming, it happened often recently. She sat silently, listening to Lady Hena's ramblings, but her mind wandered again.

 _"_ _Take this package," he put a small bundle into her palm."Brew a tea."_

 _She closed her fingers around it. "What is it?"_

 _"_ _Some herbs. Drink it. Safe. I don't need any bastards running around and I wouldn't recognize them either, so I would take this if I were you."_

 _He left without another word and she stayed, alone, her dress in disarray, her hair a mess, her body unsatisfied. She had to be careful on the way home, but no one noticed her, so she just undressed, readied herself for sleep, and brew a tea and drank it. Strangely, it tasted delicious, more so than usual teas._

Maybe the bitterness of shame sweetened the drink that night, but when Lady Hena offered her a cup, she could not make herself to try this theory.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi everyone! Thank you for reading! Now, what do you think about Alys' POV? Was it really a bad decision? Will she have to deal with consequences?

Thank you for the fav&follow, Dantae Ophydain!

Thank You for the review, ThatOtherWriterGirl! This will be a multi-chapter story, and you can see, Fíli got more than he thought he could. I agree about the brazen Lady - but that is the long-term plan :)


	3. Chapter 3

3

State affairs started to get disturbing. The Personal Royal Council – which contained Balin, Fíli, Dís and Dwalin; those, who knew about Thorin's condition – had arranged for a reliable spy-system, lead by Nori. These spies brought the information to the Personal Royal Council, and lately, they reported, that the council's and the people's connection to Thorin had loosened, their deep gratitude and admiration started to fade, which leads to lessening loyalty. So far, they always counted on Thorin to be the key to the people; as long as he was King, people followed.

Now, it seemed, it wasn't enough anymore.

Being the leader of this spy-network, Nori knew everything. Being who he was, he could see the connections more clearly than the members of the Personal Royal Council.

People admired Thorin, but he wasn't friendly enough to be really loved. People knew that he took care of their needs, but in the Mountain, life was easier. They did not care about Thorin personally, and as of the crowd, they did not care who sit on the throne until they got what they wanted.

Still, who could predict what ideas were born in Thorin's sick mind? Nori was as loyal as any, who followed him on a doomed quest, but he could smell out trouble from afar, and gold-sick-Thorin was going to bring huge trouble. Silently, he considered a change of King, but he couldn't imagine a scenario where it would happen peacefully. More exactly, peacefully for him, since he was sure that Balin would fight through hell for Thorin's birthright. Maybe Dwalin too, but he was not so sure about him anymore.

He understood that Thorin did not care about his title anymore, as long as he was allowed to claim the Mountain's gold his.

That left two who were personally affected: Lady Dís and the Crown Prince.

Nori was wondering what the sister _and_ mother was thinking; she was good at keeping her opinion hidden. Was she the worrying kind, or rather, would she give anything for his son's happiness?

Yes, Fíli would be too happy to be King, Nori smiled for himself.

As the Master Spy, he sent himself on a private little mission. He followed the Crown Prince, watched him day and night. Fíli was good king-material, his only fault was that he _wanted_ to be king.

Perhaps the time will come sooner than he thought, Nori wondered.

.

Fíli was seething again. Balin was grating on his nerves, and Mother's assistance was more of a burden when he tried to gain Balin's respect. When he finally arrived at his room this night, he sank into his armchair and reached for some booze to ease his mind. He filled his pipe, drank and smoke.

The last feast was a disaster. He was unpleasant to all, which is still forgivable. But charming a Lady of the Ancient Families into marital actions, and thus, ruining her virtue and marriage prospects – it was malicious and scandalous, and Mahal save him from this secret getting out!

He should feel something, he thought, but he was too numb. Numbness had been a constant state for him for a while now. He wanted to care, about things like his Uncle's problems, his responsibilities, the sweet girl he ruined... but in the end of the day, he was all alone and he only had to answer to his own conscience (which was probably sleeping soundly). Alys moved him from that state for a short time. He liked that. He missed lasses, and she was pretty, and she agreed.

No matter how wrong it was in the eye of everyone, he wanted more.

Days almost turned to a week when he saw her again. She was standing on a balcony, the exact one they passed their night on. She was with Lord Fronn and Braat, who he knew from his childhood. He watched her standing there, pretending it was not a special place for her. Maybe it wasn't, but Fíli doubted it.

.

Alys hated that her days now centered around her shame.

A whole week passed. No one knew.

She even started to believe that, while she walked home from Lady Hena's, leaving early and alone, when suddenly, arms circled her, effectively shutting her mouth, and the offender whispered: "I miss your tight, juicy pussy. I want you again." _Oh._ She forgot that there was _one_ other person who knew.

She struggled to get out of his tight embrace.

"Promise me you won't scream!" She nodded, so he let her go.

"Prince Fíli, what a surprise to meet you!" She hoped if she stuck to her manners, he would stop with this nonsense.

"Yeah, lucky me. I saw you turning on the corner. Alone. Don't you want some company?" He offered his arm for her, and courtesy dictated that she took it.

At first, his touch made her more scared than she ever was, but soon her emotions turned into a whirlwind. Anger, hatred, self-hatred, desire… Alys had no idea how to deal with them, especially when the Prince clearly demanded her company. And what could he mean by that comment about her tight and juicy…? _Pussy_ , she formed the word in her head. There is no need to play the blushing maiden.

"Thank you, My Prince."

They slowly walked a little, but the Prince directed her to a dark alleyway, clearly out of use.

"I was actually going home, and it is to another direction," she opposed, but he stood facing her, enthralled by her.

"I want you so," he whispered, his hand reaching for her beard. She desperately searched for an excuse, but something stopped her.

The _competition._

She had endured enough bragging this afternoon by others, and she wanted her turn finally. Maybe no one could know about her conquest, but to attract the Crown Prince's attention, it was quite an achievement. She liked that he wanted her. By the way, she was already ruined. Her reasons were not strong enough for her to encourage him, but neither did she protest.

Fíli buried his hand in her beard, lightly tugging her closer for a kiss. Her lips were the softest he ever touched and her hot tongue still tasted of some exotic fruit. He pulled himself away. Her eyes were shut in embarrassment, and he could not recall what color they were.

"Open your eyes," he pleaded, and she complied. Her eyes were beautiful, a lively shade of dark brown, now filled with uncertainty. "Trust me."

"I don't."

"I am careful, you should know that. I want you more than anything in the world. I am sure that the feeling is mutual, I can see it in your eyes." The last claim was a lie, but it slipped out easily.

"It is so wrong!"

He kissed her before her tears could fully form. She sighed, and he held her just a bit tighter. She wore a less complicated dress today, but the place did not offer them easy positions. She had attractive teats, her dresses implied so much. He ached to touch them bare, but he had to make do.

Alys moaned perhaps a bit too loudly in the quiet of their surroundings, when he cupped her breast.

"They're wonderful, your teats," he said. They were soft and just the right size in his hand. "If only I could get you out of this dress right here, right now… I could kiss them off of you!"

"No, I want to keep them," she answered with heavy breath.

"Then you have to tolerate me near them."

"How near?" Alys asked wantonly. His touches brought a promise, and her body craved to finish what he started at the night of the feast. Her mind suggested to run away and be ashamed. Another part of her mind argued that shame was not a measurable thing. It did not matter if she was shamed once, twice, or even more. The throbbing in her _pussy_ supported this point of view. _Why was it so intense?_

"I can't be too near."

She could not get out of her dress easily enough, but her skirts could be pulled up, so she did just that. He grabbed her thigh with a hungry smile.

"I love how soft you are everywhere," he whispered. Alys felt flattered. Sometimes, other dwarrowdams offered compliments, but somehow, a male's appreciation counted for more. Plus, he _returned_ to her, and mentioned 'to be near'.

The void ache in her body was throbbing again, and he was quick to give in to their mutual desire. He was as quick to give in to his pleasure, too; then to reduce the chances of them being caught, he left her alone with a pack of herbs, her disheveled appearance and the unreleased tension of her desire.

.

"Alys, where have you been? I thought you would be home in time for dinner!" her mother greeted her. Fortunately, Mother was too busy shepherding her two little brothers towards their bed, so Alys could escape her scrutiny. Mahal bless her parents for trying so hard for more children! Her little brothers needed a lot of attention, and they loved causing chaos, especially before bedtime. This gave an excellent opportunity to the wayward young lady to reach her chambers mostly unnoticed, for which she was very grateful.

She looked into her mirror. She was ashamed, wasn't she?

When Fíli left her, she sank down to sit on the floor. She had no idea how long she sat there trying to comprehend the situation. First and most importantly, she was unsatisfied. She knew little of these actions, but she guessed she should not be feeling so. Maybe she was doing something wrong. Or maybe Fíli was doing something wrong, it all happened so fast again. Second, she was alone in a dark, lonely place, when probably she should already be home. Third, she had to fix herself and clean up somehow. That stickiness between her thighs was new; last time Fíli took care of it. Four, she messed up, and what she did, twice now, was wrong in so many level.

A quiet voice in her head suggested that the order of the problems was very wrong, too.

Mother did not make any remark, however, when she arrived, so she was sitting before her mirror, preparing for bed.

Her lips were redder than usual and her neat braids became tangled. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked livelier than ever. Her eyes shone differently than that morning, and as she observed herself, the shame completely disappeared.

A maid announced her that her bath was prepared, and Alys thanked her.

She tried to shut out her feelings while she checked her body for visible marks; she found some on her thigh again. She quickly climbed into the tub to hide them.

The hot water felt divine, and she put some lavender oil into it. The scent allowed her to calm down and see her situation in a different light. While sitting in the water, she inspected several point, but her conclusion only showed her that she was desperately lost. She did not find why she had never stopped him. She suspected that she would never stop him either, but his reasons were unclear to her.

 _Maybe her softness had something to do with it,_ she concluded. She was soft, indeed, and she liked that he liked it. His marks on her thighs were now hidden under water, _their softness, too._ He said he also liked her bottom – _arse_ – which was soft and round, too, just like her belly. He had not touched her there yet. _Will he?_ He had touched her breasts though, which were also soft and round. His touches awoke strange, tense feelings there too, which had not yet eased. She noticed her nipples were hard, _must be his doing…_ He wanted to get her out of her dress, but it proved too difficult. An idea formed in her mind...

After coming out of the bath refreshed and relaxed, the only thing she regretted was that he did not helped her to her release.

She busied herself for a while with drawing, waiting for Mother to check in on her, or rather, going to sleep, since two little dwarflings could exhaust a mother very thoroughly. Alys was hoping for the latter tonight, and Mahal granted her this. She wondered shortly about the sinners' luck, then took a pot to boil some water. She remembered the first time when she prepared this tea: she was a nervous wreck. Tonight, she was just going through the motions and carefully covering up her tracks. The tea still tasted sweet.

 _How would she return to the right path when sin tasted sweet, brought luck and promised pleasure?_

.

Since the reclaiming of Erebor, Fíli became a selfish creature. Sometimes he wondered if he had the dragon sickness too, but in a different way. He craved power and control, and the more he reached for them, the stronger he was denied.

Fucking a Lady meant he took some control back and he had power over her. Sort of. Just as much as she had over him, but she had not realized it yet. He found himself thinking of her several times, and now that he had her again, he saw no road back. He and Kíli always wished for challenge: a lass who did not give in easily to their princely charms. He did not know about Kíli's thoughts on the matter anymore, but his future contained an arranged marriage for political gains. Boring. The challenge what he wanted before became meaningless; he would get a wife, with or without charming her.

Alys did not need much convincing, but in his new life, convincing meant more risk of explosure. The interesting part was what came after: finding places and time to meet, pretending nothing had changed, not getting caught…

He looked forward to their next tryst, which made him look forward to the next day eagerly.

He had not done it for months, it was refreshing. He had something to work for now.

He had a secret lover now, and he can't allow anyone to know that.

.

It was rumored that Nori never slept.

It was false though, since he did sleep on occasion, but always with one eye opened.

It was a useful habit when one was going to organize a coup.

It was also a useful habit, if the one he wanted to put on the throne was making a secret detour to a secret place. How curious.

It was rumored that Nori loved secrets: loved to discover them, then keep them, until the time he could make the best use of them.

He shut one of his eyes. The Prince had just returned to his room to lie down for the night. Nori needed rest, since he would have to wake up with him, if he really intended to find out what was to be found out, and he did. He loved secrets, after all.

.

But Fíli loved his secrets, too.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, Fíli loves his secret, and he's not the only one ;) As you can see, I added a political storyline, because I want to give Fíli a perspective. There will be an actual story here, not just two characters chasing each other around in secrecy. I hope you liked the chapter, please feel encouraged to tell me what you think! And thank you for the follow, Rilawa! :)

Sky


	4. Chapter 4

4

The official Royal Council was waiting for King Thorin to arrive. Without him, they could not start their session, as per the protocol.

Thorin was late, again. It was harder and harder to get him away from his treasure. The Personal Royal Council tried to leave him out of the long process of making decisions, but Thorin had the final say. Balin was responsible for the items of agenda, and he organized the decision-making for one day a week, thus they could skip waiting for the King and continue with more pressing matters on the other days, with or without King.

Still, one day per week, they needed Thorin to make an appearance, and it took longer each week.

"Should I go look for them?" The Lady Dís whispered to Balin for the umpteenth time.

"No. Dwalin is his closest friend, his most trusted companion. If someone can bring him, it's him."

"What if he can't?"

"As I said, Dwalin is his closest friend, we should put our trust in him, and he has not failed us yet."

"Closest friend, my… What good it does to him?" Dís did not clarify which 'him' she was talking about, and Balin wasn't sure. Dís was a dwarrowdam, and this fact always confused Balin when he had to deal with her. In his opinion, she was prone to make bad decisions regardless of the consequences, and she rarely gave an explanation. Dís was a force of nature, wild and unpolished. In this precarious situation around the King, Balin wasn't sure who she cared about the most. He had been against accepting her into the Personal Royal Council, but she was Thorin's sister, the Lady of the Mountain (often called Queen, erroneously), and his argument that Kíli was kin too, and yet he was left out, had fallen on deaf ears.

"The King!" announced the guard. Everyone stood and bowed to him, but Balin was watching him discreetly. Thorin was covered in gold and jewels. His stride slowed since the last time he walked into the Council Room. Balin wondered if it was caused by the added weight of gold he carried on his person. He lost weight, again, and the dark circles under his eyes were more prominent. He was losing the battle.

King Thorin took his place in his seat without acknowledging anyone in the room. Balin sighed; it was to be a very long meeting, and since Thorin ignored him so far, he had to come up with an idea to at least get the contracts signed.

.

"Dwalin!" Dís cried out, when the Captain of the Guard (also the King's Unofficial Personal Guard) arrived behind her brother. Thorin looked horrible, but Dwalin looked worse, Fíli had to admit. He grabbed his mother's wrist to keep her from running thoughtlessly away.

"Curtsey!" he hissed. She was annoyed, but did what her son said. "Don't get his attention on you."

"He looks like he did not sleep at all tonight," she whispered to Fíli, and contrary to Balin, Fíli knew too well who she spoke about.

"He probably did not."

"I hate that he has to do so much for _him_! What did _he_ ever do for him in return?"

"This is just how kings are," Fíli answered stoically.

"You must not be like this, ever!"

"I won't, because my ass will be kicked either by you, or the dwarrowdam you will choose and train to kick my ass," he recited the old threat by heart. Thorin was sitting now, so he let her mother go. She did not belong in the official Royal Council, and he watched with a smile how she led the burly Captain out of the room like she would a small child.

Balin cleared his throat and the session began.

.

Fíli tried to think about his mother, since it was the only safe topic he could think of. Still, every time Balin cleared his throat to get Thorin's attention, he had to hold back a snort. Thorin was a goner, his sanity at least, and his hatred for his uncle grew every day.

Fíli did not have to pay attention. He read all of it last night, since he was the one who prepared the final versions. He did all the brainwork; still, it was all nothing without Thorin's name.

He tried to turn his thoughts back to his mother; she was one for the sake of variety who he could trust unconditionally. He wished for her presence now. Or rather, he wished for his non-presence. Mother was probably fussing around Dwalin right now. Mother liked to fuss around Dwalin, which sometimes made him jealous, but Dwalin was a good dwarf and he deserved it. Fíli did not understand completely what was Mother playing at, but they both seemed happy enough. He thought maybe he should leave them to themselves today, he had something else to do, after all. Or to be exact, some _one_.

.

Alys went to the market with Mother and her brothers, two of their maids accompanying them, since Cronn and Dronn needed a lot of attention. The maids were chasing the dwarflings restlessly, which left her and her mother to look around unbothered. They ordered the goods to be delivered to their home to spare them the trouble of carrying packages with the dwarflings on their arms, too.

It was an unusually quiet afternoon.

They planned to order some quality material for a dress Alys drew up herself, but before they got to it, one of the maids rushed to them, and stuttered nervously about Dronn and a wooden axe. Her mother rushed to her dwarflings, and decided to go home. It was too much excitement for them for one day. Alys, however, was not yet finished.

"Please, Mother, I really would like to get those fabrics! I promise that I won't wander, I will only go to Master Leif, and I will choose and order and pay and go home, nothing more!" she pleaded. She loved her brothers, but they took their mothers' attention all the time. Alys did not need attention now, only those fabrics.

Her mother was considering the possibilities. She could spare neither maid if she wanted to get her sons home alright, and they would cry after their mother if she stayed with her daughter.

"Are you truly going to be safe?" she asked for her promise. Inside the mountain, Erebor was safe. Dwarves stuck together, and the chances of a dwarrowdam getting hurt were none. Except for accidents of course… or the dwarrowdam in question got into trouble by her fault. She did not worried about the last one though. Alys was such a good girl, and she rarely asked for anything. She was always so understanding when it came to the boys, too; she accepted that at their age, they demanded more time, and she never complained. In addition, Master Leif was an old family friend – they were his long-time customers even back in the Iron Hills. He will not let harm come to her.

"Yes, Mother, I will be."

"Then go, and choose something beautiful," she smiled and let her go. "Do not wander for too long! Be safe!"

"Thank you, Mother, good luck with the boys!" she said, but they were already lost for her eyes.

She started toward the drapery shop, when someone bumped into her. She had only seen a flash of golden hair, but she knew who he was. Her body was aflame.

Abruptly, she turned on her heels. He was easy to follow, and he noticed her, so he slowed.

"What a wonderful day we have, My Lady," he greeted her.

"My Prince, it is good to see you again."

"Where were you going?" he asked. She explained him, as she would in a polite conversation, but she suspected that he was not interested in polite conversation – which was fine by her, since neither was she. His smirk confirmed it.

"Drapery shop, right?"

"Exactly."

"Actually, how familiar are you with the shopkeeper?"

.

"Good day, Master Leif!"

"Good day, Lady Alys!" the shopkeeper greeted her enthusiastically. "Are you here by yourself today?" he asked, noticing her lack of companion.

"Yes, I am. Mother and I took the boys to the market, but they tire easily in new surroundings."

"Are they all well?"

"Yes, they are."

"And how can I help you?" he asked. Alys smiled sweetly.

"I designed a new dress for myself, and I am looking for some fabric for it. I think I will take my time, if I may."

"Do that, little Lady."

Alys started to inspect every single piece of fabric meticulously. She watched the Master from the corner of her eyes, he didn't look busy. Alys made a few small sigh to express her desperation. Master Leif jumped to his feet immediately.

"Can I help you?"

"I don't think so. By looking at these fabrics, I am getting new ideas, which makes the search even more desperate."

Master Leif chuckled. He had three daughters, two of them barely past her age, neither married. He knew her dilemma well, even if she overplayed it a bit. Her ideas were from another territory.

"Take your time, My Lady. When are you supposed to be home?"

"I promised Mother that I will hurry. We await our orders just before dinner, and I'm supposed to be home before that. I am afraid I will not finish by the time you close up for the day," she sighed.

"Don't be too troubled, Alys, I will not throw you out," he laughed.

During the time she passed there, customers arrived and left. She looked up for all of them. Then, a familiar figure entered.

"Good day, Master!" Master Leif did not recognize him.

"Good day to you, too! How can I help you?"

"I am here on an errand," he announced. Their eyes met over the fabrics, and he continued: "My mother has need of some purple material."

"For what?"

"For dress, I guess," he answered, playing the dumb and uninterested son a little too well. "For what else could she need it?"

"Oh, if you knew…" Master Leif sighed, as if he wished he had no idea either. "Come, this way. There are several shades, of course. Don't be afraid to ask, and if I am busy, this little Lady here can surely help you, won't you, Alys?"

"I will, Master Leif!" she smiled.

"Do you practice these sweet shy smiles, or does it come naturally to you?" Fíli asked when the shopkeeper left them. The smile immediately left her face.

"I don't practice them."

"You use them well."

They stood in silence. Alys was looking through the fabrics, while Fíli was watching her.

"Could you arrange something?" Fíli asked her.

"He will not throw me out after closing up the shop," she whispered, like she was afraid to be caught doing something nasty.

"Not much," he grumbled. "Closing hour is close. Ask him to let you stay, while he brings word to your family."

"Alright, I will," she nodded.

"Now."

"What? I can't just ask these things from him outright!"

"He is a trusted friend. Yours, not mine. You can ask him. I can't, but Mahal knows how much easier it would make things!" Fíli seemed to be in a gruff mood today.

"Alright."

"So?"

"Master Leif!"

"A moment, please!" he said, then he came over. "How can I help you, Alys?"

"I was wondering if I could really stay here after closing hour."

"But of course you can!" he laughed, and Fíli smirked at her from behind him.

"Oh, thank you very much, Master Leif!" Fíli rolled his eyes. He did not care about politeness, but she did.

"You're welcome, anytime. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Master Leif, I promised Mother…"

"…to be home before dinner. Look, what if I send word to Lady Vylis? Or if you are not afraid to stay here alone, I can tell her myself." Master Leif was fond of her brothers, himself having no son. He was probably not against visiting them...

Fíli nodded, hesitantly. He said they should know a time range when he surely would not be back.

"I… don't want to keep you from your dinner or your family."

"Oh, Alys, my family is quite alright without me and I would not be ashamed to accept a dinner at your home, maybe I shall deliver your orders myself. Will it be alright with you? Are your conscience clear from heavily abusing my goodwill toward you?"

Alys blushed brightly. How could he know? Then Master Leif laughed loudly, and she realized he was joking.

"You are such a sweet little lady, my Flower, don't worry. I will close up early, collect your orders and visit your mother. You just take your time. I will leave a key with you in case, but I prefer if you accepted me to escort you when I return."

Alys nodded, her eyes still firmly turned to the ground. She did not see Master Leif good-natured headshakes, nor Fíli's smug smirk.

"After closing hour, then," Fíli told her, and went to tell Master Leif that he could not decide.

.

He was back after closing hour, as promised. Actually, he was back earlier – he was knocking only moments after Master Leif left, and frightened Alys.

"Mahal, what are you doing here so early?" she chided him.

"I had to come now. No one suspects a dwarf entering a shop now. After closing hours, though… How long we have?" he asked hurriedly.

"An hour at least, more, if Mother keeps him for dinner."

"Good."

"Will we be able to keep track of the time?"

"I will. Take off your dress," he changed the topic. "You really should wear something simpler the next time we meet."

His statement was wrong on so many level that she could not even start to count. By the time she could be appalled, his lips were trying to get to her neck, his hand brushing her beard aside, and it felt…

She was hopeful that now she would get her release. Maybe he would be a bit more attentive, or she would be more adaptive, or… Mahal knew what they missed, but it made her miserable, and only his touches eased her ache.

"When will we meet again?" she asked, but he just shrugged.

"Dunno. Anytime. I love your teats." She loved them too, mostly, when they filled his hands.

This time, he was faster. His cock entered her forcefully, and if he did not use the trick of her pain-chasing earlobe, she would have cried out. She did not like it, and she struggled against him until he noticed.

"What?"

"It hurts!"

"Oh, come on!" he hissed, but eased back. "He called you Flower. Maybe you are one."

"Am not!" she protested. Calling a dwarf 'flower' meant insult; flowers were weak and vulnerable, while dwarves were of stone. She accepted it from Master Leif since he meant well and she knew him since her childhood, but Fíli was different.

"Then let me do my thing."

He did not care for more argument. He had of those quite enough for a day – for a life even. Thorin was difficult, and his feelings on the matter were entirely chaotic and improper.

Exactly like this relationship.

"I will take it easy. Lay down."

"On the fabrics?" Alys asked incredulously.

"Yes. They are soft. You will like it," he answered.

"But… they are not ours…"

"So? You are already heavily abusing the goodwill of an old family friend, why stop here?"

He was a demon of the darkness and used some magic on her. That was the only possible explanation.

.

Her body still craved contentment, but she was alone again. Master Leif was nowhere in sight, and she was alone in the place where Fíli took his pleasures again and did not give her the same. He stole it. Maybe she should try to steal it for herself, too.

If only she weren't such a good girl.

Actually, she wasn't. Only no one knew that.

Master Leif arrived and escorted her home, with the promise that the chosen materials will be at their home, prepared, tomorrow morning.

She would be her first priority in the morning. And she just _fucked_ on his products, in his shop, after closing hours, the doors locked with the key he gave her personally.

How could no one know that she was not a good girl anymore?


	5. Chapter 5

5

Lady Dís was worried about her sons. Fíli became too serious in the last years. Dís hoped that things would turn out well for him since Thorin's sickness came back, but Fíli was starting to… She couldn't describe it, but something was very wrong with her son. He was lonely, like Thorin, but Thorin was surrounded by his kin. Fíli only had her and Kíli, but state affairs tore them apart. Both of her sons were too young to experience these kinds of hardships. Thorin and she always worked for them to have a nice, bright and easy future. Now, she had to watch that while her youngest got all they wanted for him, Fíli was buried under all the wrongs his elders had ever done. Her heart was bleeding for him, but she couldn't get close enough anymore. Fíli was mature beyond his years, he made his own decisions, and she tried to trust him… but being worried was a Mother's duty.

She remembered when she was left alone once, ages ago. She was young, most of her family was dead, and her only remaining brother had to shoulder the burdens of their people. She was the Princess, so she was required to help as much as she could. She had already experienced much about life, she knew hardship, and she thought that she was old enough to make her own decisions. She did not need counsel anymore.

Then, she learned on the hard way that we _all_ are prone to make mistakes – as far as one could call hers a ' _mistake'_.

Her eldest son buried himself in his work, which was important, alright. His social life however ceased to exist. He had not talked to his brother in ages. He was not interested in lasses anymore. (Neither in lads, to Dís' relief. She wanted grandchildren, soon, and many.)

He was on the way to be King – and only King.

He was on his way to become Thorin.

.

Not exactly on his way to become Thorin, Fíli made a pleasant detour between the morning meeting and lunch. Alys mentioned in the drapery shop that she would get the fabrics the next day and she planned to go to the sewing chambers to make the dress for three more days. This means she should finish today – maybe he can see for himself what she created. Or how difficult it would be to get it off of her; if he accidentally ruined it, she can still make adjustments. How noble he was, he thought ironically.

Trying to find his way to the rarely visited part of the Mountain, he took a cloak from a laundry basket. There were dwarves here who could recognize him and he couldn't risk it. What would he say? That he ended the meeting earlier to measure a Lady?

The sewing rooms were small, he knew. There were several bigger chambers, where dwarrowdams met and… sew? He wasn't really interested in what happened there, although he supposed they gossiped there, too – another reason for not to be seen. What a useless way to spend time, he thought, meaning gossiping of course. He was grateful for the sewing, since his clothes were made here, too.

He was aware of the existence of the smaller sewing rooms, too. These were made for one or two person only, to make measurement and smaller adjustments; or secret, personal projects. Alys told him that she designed a special dress for herself which she would not want anyone to see before the occasion arose to wear it in public. Ladies were very proud of their special self-made dresses, and it made sense to him, sort of. It was the same with him and his self-made twin swords and knives: he hadn't told anyone before he could show off his new perfectly fitting weapons.

However, his idea came too suddenly to be well planned. He didn't know how would he find her room or if he would be able to get there. He felt that a big hall was near: maybe the entrance to this mysterious area… He felt something stirring inside him. It reminded him of the times he spent with Kíli in Ered Luin, planning mischief. He wondered if Kíli had ever put his feet into the sewing chambers. Maybe he had; maybe he charmed a pretty seamstress who offered him some fun in a private corner here. Or maybe, he didn't even know this much about this place, since Fíli was the one who had to know of every last corner of the entire Mountain, not Kíli, never Kíli.

Once, he thought they would always share everything.

Now, he had at least one secret he would keep from him, should their relationship ever improve.

His secret hid somewhere behind a door, near him.

 _Excitement_ , he recognized. He was excited to find her.

.

Time was running through her fingers, like grains of sand. Her dress was difficult to make, but the promise of success motivated her. Mother said she would be pretty, and it was easy to take off. The skirt was flowing, without thick layers of underskirts. The waistline was tight, which provided the dress some support, but there was a trick. She wanted to avoid the difficulties of lacing it up, so she split the upper part of the dress. She thought much on how to fix the two parts so neither will drop in public, but she found the way. The backside will be kept up by her shoulders and the sleeves of the dress. She made the sleeves tight on her upper arms and to loosen around her wrists. The front, she figured, will be tied behind her neck. She figured a way to twist the fabrics on her breasts, which made the neckline unusual, and her breasts more pronounced. She imagined an elaborate, lifted hairstyle, with braids embracing her head and her forehead, lending her a mysterious aura in the style of the southern women.

She missed dinner last night. _Mother must be used to it by now_ , she sighed. She was never late before, but lately, she faced some difficulties to get home in time.

She promised to try to get home for lunch; although she added that if she was nearly ready with the dress, she might stay and work.

Right now, she still had much time, but the dress was almost ready, and she wanted to try it on. To make the picture complete, she braided her hair-crown, too. She put on the dress. It fit well, and so far, she did not need any help, not even with the braids. She stood before the mirror and turned around.

She wondered what others would think, what Fíli would think… because her own thoughts were improper.

She looked like a secret lover.

This was not exactly news, since she based her ideas on pictures of southern women. Of course, from those patriarchal societies, the only pictures of women which made it to Erebor were of very influential ones – mostly lovers instead of wives, as far as she knew. This made her think about her position. With this dress, she made a gesture to Fíli. She welcomed him to touch her naked body. Secretly, she hoped it would bring her the same pleasure Fíli seemed to have.

When she arrived at Erebor a few weeks ago and faced its magnificence, she was afraid. She barely counted as a grown dwarrowdam, and yet, so much was required of her… she feared she was not good enough, and her fears started to get the better of her – when he came. Yes, the first time was a mistake. After the second time, however, she started hoping. When he reached out for the third time, things changed. She had not yet much time to understand the intricacies of adulthood, but she came from an Ancient Family, so she knew the ways of dwarven nobility. He would not deny himself something he can get, so she counted on his desires. Maybe she will find her place here…

… she had to ask the time, maybe she would be home for lunch for the sake of variety.

She covered herself with her cloak, and left the room.

.

She did count on his desires, but she was surprised to find him standing in the hall, watching the folks walking by, as if he was waiting for someone. He wore a too big, too worn cloak, probably to hide his identity. She talked to the dwarf at the table; he was responsible for the safety and the privacy of the rooms.

"Excuse me, please; I am waiting for my lunch to arrive. My family promised to send some with one of our employees. I think that is him, there." She pointed to Fíli with her index finger. "May I fetch him and lead him to my room?"

The dwarf looked her up and down, then strictly nodded, murmuring something disapprovingly about the need of a private room. She hurried toward him, and he pushed himself away from the wall. He was standing even shorter than usually, his steps were uncertain toward her, with a slight limp. She wondered if something happened to him or it was all part of an act to blend in better – in which he succeeded wonderfully.

.

"The dwarf at the table, he actually knows me," he admitted when they were finally in the safety in her room. He threw down the cloak and swept the (imagined) dirt off his clothes.

"He did not recognize you, did he?"

"Of course not. But you did," he half stated, half asked.

"Of course. I should know my stalker, to run away in time," she teased. Fíli liked it. She started to get confident – or was it because he was here now by her choice? Eventually, he would have found his way into her room, but now, he was here by invitation. He wondered if she stopped feeling guilty and ashamed. _What does it tell about her morals?_

"Your stalker will always find you," he stated confidently.

"My stalker is much more talkative than before," she observed. Damn. He really was talkative today. His mother was asking about lasses at breakfast. During the meeting, he had to listen to expert opinions, and he had little to say. Now, he was feeling giddy and excited – well, he was actually feeling something, of course he wanted to talk. Maybe he should shut up right this moment, because he did not come to her to talk.

She was still hiding under her cloak. He slowly approached her, kissed her, and in the meantime, he slid the cloak off. When he felt it fell from his hands, he stepped back.

She took his breath away.

He watched her becoming conscious of her surroundings. She smiled shyly, and when their eyes met, she blushed.

"You are gorgeous."

"Am I?"

"Yes." Fíli struggled with the answer. He had already known that she was pretty, but she was more. This dress was a masterpiece, which meant she was very aware of her appearance. The pale pink sleeves softly framed the deep dark red of the dress. The fabric embraced her curves invitingly, and the colors were in complete harmony with her dark brown hair. The braids, starting from her beard, circling her head shadowed the promise glistening in her eyes, and some of her locks were left hanging freely on her shoulders.

Her lips were paler than the dress and it disturbed him. Instead of explaining this issue, he kissed her. "You are gorgeous and delicious," he whispered.

"I made it to be easy to take off," she announced, which urged Fíli to try it out. She was naked a moment later, his hands roaming freely on her body, cupping her breasts, touching her cunt, so wet, so desirable…

"Wait," she said, when his cock entered her. He wanted to move, to find his release, the sooner the better.

"Don't tease me so," he panted.

"I think I deserve my pleasure, too," she said.

"What?" Fíli pulled out of her. What did she mean?

"I can see that you find some pleasure in the end, a release from your desires – or I don't know, I'm not supposed to know – and I want that too. You always leave me craving."

Fíli stared at her dumbstruck.

"What?"

"Help me find my release," she whispered. He continued staring at her while she pulled off his shirt, and he felt her nipples tickle his chest. "Help me want the same as you."

"Wait, do you not want… this? Did you not want…?"

"I… I agreed, but I have not found the same enjoyment that you and it feels like I should."

"Oh."

"Please." She was caressing his moustache. Did she know how much it made him lose control?

"I will do anything for you today, I promise."

Alys almost broke into tears.

Fíli kissed her again, this time deeper and more slowly, pressing his cock to her entrance. She leaned into him, which encouraged him to continue rubbing that aching point down there. His fingers teasing her hard nipples sent out waves toward that point, too, and her mind became clouded. She grasped his arms, so thick with muscles… He pulled away and pushed her to lay her back on the table. She felt his finger slide into her, then out, and she watched as he licked the sticky fluid from it. He smirked. The next moment, he pushed his cock inside her with a swift, forceful movement, and she cried out from pleasure. Fíli immediately leaned over her and shut her mouth with his palm.

"Quiet!" he hissed, and Alys could not fathom how he could be so collected. "Are you close?"

"Close to what?"

"Your pleasure, Mahal, what else?"

"I think so…"

"'s not enough…" he groaned. He pulled her legs up, supporting his chest on her knees.

"Tell me if it's better," he ordered, pushing deeper this time. Alys slapped her hand to her mouth to stifle a moan. "I take it as a yes," Fíli smiled smugly. "I see you're learning, too," he slurred, while he quickened his movements. Alys had to bite down on her fingers to stay silent, which had to signal to him that she was indeed close now. Suddenly, Fíli leaned closer while making some slower, but deeper stroke, pushing her thighs to her breasts, kissing her and pulling her bitten fingers to grab his shoulder.

What happened then was so powerful, that Alys struggled to understand. This time, the well-known routine changed: Fíli stayed on her for some moment, panting heavily, closing her in his arms, and she felt complete.

She felt like being in a dream, but the weight of the heavy male body on her started to get uncomfortable. She tried to push him off, but she felt too weak.

Fíli chuckled. "What, are you so eager to get rid of me?"

"Heavy," she murmured. She was surprised she could form even this one word.

"Sorry. I thought you liked my body the way it is," he smirked. "I guess you found your pleasure?"

She nodded.

"Me too. And I have a lunch appointment. So, I'm going."

"Good," she sighed, but she couldn't move. Apparently, neither could him. "Lunch here?"

"No. I… Fuck, I want to stay."

"No lunch here," Alys stated the obvious, waving her hand around. "Hungry…?"

"I'm only hungry for you," he said, but he got up. "I'm really going. Just one last kiss," he leaned down.

Five more kisses later, he was out of the door.

.

Lady Vylis was happy when she could sit down at the end of the day. Chasing after two hyperactive dwarflings was an exhausting task, and she was so glad that they were finally asleep. Cronn and Dronn were surprisingly tiring after her angelic daughter. Alys was a quiet child, an observer, who charmed everyone with her sweet smiles and pliant nature. She did not change much during the years; she was willing to learn, to become better in everything, she never demanded anything and she was so understanding and helpful with her brothers. Lady Vylis was grateful that Alys was such a good girl, because she had heard about the problems of other mothers.

However, she also realized that lately, she knew less and less about her. She did not suspect her to keep secrets; it was her fault that she had less time for Alys than she deserved. She knew that the age Alys was in was a difficult time for a dwarrowdam. Oh, how much trouble she had caused to her own mother! It was the time when they started to wish for family and a good dwarf for husband. She often talked with her daughter about her prospects and her favorites, but lately, since moving to Erebor, Alys did not mention anyone – as if she stopped being interested in marrying. It was, of course, impossible, but she decided to keep an eye on the young Lady.

She took up the invitation from the table. This could be a good opportunity to watch Alys interact with no less than the most eligible bachelor of the Mountain; however, they should not get their hopes up too high.

It was only a dinner invitation from the royal family, which every Ancient Family got from time to time.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for this very detailed review, 'Guest'! I wanted to try a new point of view, since I don't think everything would be easy in their life, but we all have to learn to deal with things. I am all for character development, and I plan to make Fíli realize his mistakes - I hope he is willing to do that :)


	6. Chapter 6

6

Alys desperately wanted to talk to Fíli.

What they did… Actually, now was the first time she really regretted every moment, from the first to the last…

She tried to go out alone, just walking around. She hoped he would accidentally bump into her or something, since he always appeared in the strangest of moments and places. If she would know only the smallest detail about his daily activities, or his preferences, or anything…

Their affair couldn't last long this way. Either they wouldn't find a place and time, or they get caught. The latter freaked her out, and during this sleepless night, she drew up too many scenarios about how she would be punished. Will they send her away? Will she be imprisoned? Will her family suffer? She thought that she could accept the consequences, and she would, but… Oh, Mahal.

It was only a dinner invitation to the Royal Family, sent to different families every so often. Maybe it was their turn now.

Or, since they surely not want much attention, they are dealing with her under the disguise of a family dinner.

After a few hours of wandering aimlessly, she gave up finding him. She was so going to die, best case scenario.

.

Of course, the only factor she did not count on was the sinners' luck, which came in the form of a visitor. Lady Dona was a daughter of another Iron Lord, slightly older than her, but a pleasant acquaintance. Since they had lived in different parts of the Iron Hills, they had rarely met, but they had got on well, and here, in Erebor, they were happy to find a familiar face. Dona was the closest to a friend Alys had here – she was often intimidated by the frivolous and loud bragging of many of the Ladies. Back in the Iron Hills, they did not need to compete, everyone had her own rank, but Erebor's society had only started to rebuild recently, and everyone was fighting for a higher position. It was not the first time that Dona reached out to her; probably she reckoned that the Iron Ladies should stick together.

Alys invited her in for a drink and small talk, and politely inquired after Dona's family.

"Actually, I came here to ask you for a walk," Dona admitted. "You know, Donos has recently been appointed to the Guard, and he is in the training yard. I thought to visit him, but I would like someone to come with me. I thought you would be interested."

"Is it proper to go there? Without an escort?" In the Iron Hills, Alys' family had guards to escort their products and merchants, and her father often took her to the training yard to watch them spar. Of course, it was only the official reason, since these visits allowed her to pick favorites among her potential suitors. In Erebor, however, Father was too busy, so she had not been to the training yard yet.

"I will be your escort, and you would be mine, and if someone asks, we will refer to Donos." Dona must have seen something on her face, because she continued: "It's entirely proper. Everyone is inventing excuses, especially for the official weekly training sessions of the Princes."

"The Princes?" Alys had not heard about this. Not that her meetings with one certain Prince contained much talking.

"Yes. Once a week, they train in public – today is Day Fíli, because they train on different days. They say that is for the sake of entertainment, because they both relish the attention being fully on them."

"Oh."

"Oh? Alys, Alys, don't you ever gossip? Or listen to gossips, at the least?" Dona shook her head. "I know how hard is to get used to the life here. It's so different than the Iron Hills… And I hate so much that everything is about the Princes. I bet they don't even know any of our names, and I am not interested in any of them, but…"

Alys knew too well. However, she _was_ interested, and one of the Princes most certainly knew her name.

"Well, at least Donos will be there, maybe others… What are we waiting for?" Alys stood up, and soon they left her home behind. On the way to the training yard, Dona observed:

"I thought you would be harder to convince. If I didn't know you, I would think you _are_ interested in the Princes," she teased. "Are you?"

Alys only blushed and shook her head. She was known to be shy, she hoped Dona accepted her answer.

.

Dwalin hated to fight for show. However, right now there was only one dwarf in the Mountain who would stand a chance against his blows – well, he hoped, at least. It wouldn't do any good if he beat the Crown Prince (and de facto Ruler of the Realm) to the ground, literally.

Still, Fíli looked like he would welcome his hard blows, maybe even respond in kind. Fíli's body was almost trembling with anger, just like Dwalin's. They both spent their lunchtime in the treasury, trying to sway Thorin's attention, to smuggle out some gold behind his back. Thorin was the most trustworthy sentinel to guard the treasure, but he would not let a single coin out, not even to pay for basic needs. Dwalin had no idea how they would solve this situation, because when Thorin was in the treasury, Erebor was as good as bankrupt. They have managed so far with Gloin's personal wealth – he was the only sensible one who took his part to a personal secret treasury immediately after retaking the Mountain. His loans, however, would not come for long. He loved his money and wanted it back.

Dwalin hoped Fíli or Dís would come up with an idea, since they had the wits to plot, and himself the muscle and patience to deal with Thorin. Balin was useless, since he pampered the thick-headed King, like he was a young brat. Dwalin had just enough of him for the day.

Fíli was waiting for him in their special training area. It was made like an arena, with seats for the audience. Fíli wore nothing on his upper body; for show, many thought, but Dwalin knew better. Bare-chested fight meant recklessness, and with Fíli's smirk, Dwalin knew it could be the match of the year, or decade maybe. He smirked back and undressed the same way, dropping his boots, too. Fíli followed.

.

"Donos is good," Alys said. "I remember him from the time he started wielding a weapon."

"Oh, no," Dona laughed. "He wanted to try a sword, which was bigger than him. I am still embarrassed, please do not remind me of that ever again!"

"He impressed many with his enthusiasm."

"He impressed Captain Dwalin with his strength and skill with an axe," Dona explained. "Enthusiasm does not put anyone in the Guard."

"Anyway, I am proud of him," Alys complimented. Dona's lips pulled into a smile.

"Thank you. I am glad. Would you like to tell him so personally?"

Alys blushed again. "I don't think so. I…"

"Alys, Alys… You have to start somewhere, and you know him since our childhood. I promise I will not be angry if you break his heart!"

"Still, it would be strange. I know him since our childhood, but not that well."

"That's why he would be the perfect candidate to practice your charming talents. If he says or does something unbecoming, you remind him of that sword-incident. These fellow Ladies will see then that you are competition. Actually, I didn't have the opportunity to congratulate you on your dance with our dear Crown Prince the other night."

"That dance? It was two weeks ago!"

"Exactly!" Dona exclaimed triumphantly. "I have barely seen you since then, and never just the two of us. You are neglecting me, and others too, as I can see. You should bath in the glory of that dance. It was a masterpiece to get so close to him, and you have been hiding while everyone is still jealous of you!"

"I don't want anyone to be jealous of me."

"But of course you do! Or rather, do you want someone like Miri or Tegha to be the example to be followed?"

In Alys' opinion, Dona cared too much about these things, but she also knew that she was supposed to be the same. She had to make her family proud, to help them keep their status. Her father always told her that the Ancient Families weren't considered nobility to gain wealth and enjoy themselves, but to care for their people and shoulder the responsibilities, too. Miri or Tegha didn't seem to be responsible or caring, though. Dona was right that they should not be followed, but since they were the loudest, everyone did so.

She shook her head.

"Then let's go. We have a Prince to watch. Maybe he hasn't forgotten you, but you shouldn't have waited so long."

"Waiting for what?"

"To be seen with him again, what else?"

 _Well, that's exactly what we tried to avoid_ , Alys thought. Still, she let Dona drag her to the arena where the Crown Prince and the Captain of the Guard were preparing.

Dona was skillfully bypassing everyone and everything until they found themselves standing in the first row. She smirked when she noticed her friend's surprised expression.

"Mahal, it's going to be interesting," Dona sighed when she noticed the Crown Prince undressing in the corner. The Captain arrived and did the same.

"They aren't wearing any protection," Alys noticed.

"They are good. It's only for the show, I guess," Dona reassured her, but it helped little.

"Are they using blunt weapons?"

This was the moment when Fíli pulled out his perfect, battle-weary twin swords and Dwalin took up his (even wearier) axes, and Alys felt she was going to faint.

"I don't think so."

"Are they crazy?"

"Maybe, I heard it runs in their family. But they are skilled, and it's only for show. I don't think they will really fight, maybe one or two spectacular movement or so, you know, for the audience, but I doubt they want to exhaust each other."

Alys intended to express her worries in a more detailed fashion, when Fíli glanced toward them, and their eyes met. It was as if everyone in the hall disappeared – she could only focus on him and his fast approaching demise, but he only lifted an eyebrow, and turned away. Still, Alys was sure that he noticed her presence, and this calmed her somewhat.

.

Fíli took a deep breath to focus on Dwalin. They were both very skilled and very strong and very angry. They fought side by side for a while now, and they knew each other's tricks. Experience was on Dwalin's side, naturally, but the flexibility of youth favored Fíli.

Dwalin came at him first. Fíli stepped aside, correcting his stance and preparing to strike. Dwalin was famous for 'having an eye on his back', and Fíli loved to experiment his attacking moves on him. Fíli himself was more known for his subtle and sneaky attacking style: first observing his enemy, then crushing him with one or two perfect blows. He always stroke fast, then retreated if his enemy was good, too.

Dwalin was good, and he was coming at him again. Both of them used both hands at the same time, so when Dwalin targeted his skull with one axe, he raised his right to block, but tried to find his liver with his left – which Dwalin's second axe swept away swiftly. Fíli turned and ducked to avoid the weapons, and seeing Dwalin's knee unprotected, he kicked out. Dwalin felt the knick, but his balance was too perfect, Fíli knew that well. Anyway, his sword found a way toward Dwalin's bare foot, so he had to step away. And, kicking felt good.

It was a difficult and beautiful dance. Neither of them wore armor, and both were too skilled, and the difficulty and the danger of their activity forced them to concentrate fully, which made all other problem disappear. Fíli loved the feeling when his head started to clear, the fog lifting and he also felt the radiance of another presence.

He backed off for a breath and looked out. Alys was still standing there, whyever she was there at all, wringing her hands. Maybe she didn't even blink, not to miss the moment of his triumph or his disgrace. He couldn't let her down. Dwalin was a difficult partner to defeat, but he would be standing until her sweet smiles gave him a promise.

He glanced at Dwalin, surprised that he had not charged at him yet, but his attention was turned away from the arena. Dwalin was looking at Mother – whatever she was doing here? Fuck.

Fíli almost dropped his swords in his hurry to get to her. He spent most of the day with Dwalin and Thorin, when finally Dís arrived to smooth the problem. All of them – except Thorin – knew that Erebor would not run on Gloin's loans for long, so they had to find a solution. Dís sent them to clear their heads, to think, while she stayed to take care of her brother.

"He is sleeping, finally," she stated, when Dwalin and Fíli arrived. "Praise Mahal. I had no idea he had so much energy left. He hasn't slept for days…"

"Four days and sixteen hours," Dwalin specified. "We practiced ways to stay awake for long. It's not even a record."

"That's going to be a problem," Fíli asserted. "Did you not practice ways to fall asleep on command?"

"Not the way we could use."

"Fuck."

"Fíli! Language!"

"Sorry Mother." Fíli sighed. He wanted out. No, he wanted Thorin out of the picture. _No, it's wrong. He's my uncle and I only wish him well._

"I left Nori there to take out as much as he can, he's silent enough. Get dressed. I exhausted him, but I have no idea how long he will sleep. We need to act fast. And we need to include Gloin in Balin's little scheme."

"We should've done so long ago," Dwalin grumbled, while Fíli only nodded desperately. He wanted to find Alys, but when he went back for his shirt, she was nowhere in sight.

.

"The Prince and the Captain is retiring for today!" One of the guards announced for the audience. The crowd started whispering, wishing for more, not appreciating enough the beauty and the danger of the performance they had seen. Wild rumors arose, about the Prince's sickness, his gold-sickness, his unpredictable behavior, his battle injury, his craven nature and his general madness.

"That's it for today," Dona sighed. "It's a pity that they finished so abruptly, I cannot help wondering what could be the matter… Do you think it is a secret business of the Kingdom? They both hurried down into the shadows…"

"It is very unrealistic," Alys shrugged. She was most happy that the duel ended quickly, with Fíli unscratched.

"Is not."

"Alright, be happy with whatever conspiracy theory you can come up with," Alys laughed. "Please share your findings with me!"

"I will. You can laugh, but I am sure of it that there are some shady business going on," Dona pouted. "Let's find my brother, he's gone to clean up. I'll show you the way, and maybe, the Prince is heading that way too."

Alys hoped so.

Donos was still in the bathing chambers of the training yard. Dona dragged her to explore, and they met some handsome guards-in-training. Their presence cheered them up, and Dona seemed too busy to notice their original target walking by them.

Alys looked at her friend, then, the sought figure passing them. He looked troubled. Alys made up an excuse of using the privy, and followed Fíli. She softly touched his hand, which surprised him, but he pressed his fingers to hers. He nodded to a smaller chamber.

"I have my own room here, you know; one of the few advantages of being a Prince." He explained after shutting the door. "It's very few, you know. How was your day? Did you like the training? I have never seen you here before."

Fíli was rambling, which confused Alys. Fíli was always so collected…

"It was good, so far. You fought well."

"Did I?"

"It was so scary, you could get wounded!"

"And?" he shrugged. Alys grabbed his hands and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

Fíli chuckled. "Are you falling in love with me?"

"No," she answered.

"Good. Because I would break your heart with my heartlessness." Fíli was tugging at her skirt, and Alys had some ideas about what was to come. "You said you had a good day?" Alys nodded. "Mine was horrible. And I need a quickie, but I can't care about your pleasure now. S'ry," he said, but clearly he was not. His sudden change of mood confused Alys further. She was still under the effect of the duel: the worry, the relief, and she felt the weight of his duties on his shoulders, tension radiating from him… She wanted to lift some burden and ease his mood. "What should I do?" she asked. Fíli turned her away from him and pushed her down. He lifted her skirt and entered her without foreplay, only checking her wetness.

"You are always so welcoming," he groaned while grabbing her hip and riding her from behind. It was actually pleasurable in their rough closeness. He came surprisingly fast.

"Hey lass, thanks," he said after they both cleaned up, and he threw her the usual package. "Now go, I'll see you 'round!" He opened the door, but Alys had to share the reason why she chased him all day long.

"You'll see me tomorrow evening, at dinner. Your mother sent my mother an invitation," she whispered. Fíli paled.

"Fuck."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, they will meet again in ordinary settings. How do you think they will manage?

Thanks for the reviews, 'Guest' and Mjean! I'm glad you like Fíli this way, though I can promise he will change some sooner or later :)


	7. Chapter 7

7

Fíli stepped into the room prepared for dinner. It was empty; the servants had already left and the guests had not yet arrived.

He wondered briefly about the participants. He did not know Lord Fronn or his family very well – apart from Alys, naturally, but he intended to stay completely silent about this. He hoped that someone would choose a topic for conversation. When he had to spend time with strangers, he mostly resorted to tales of the rebuilding of Erebor. He always had success. Now, he wasn't sure what he would say. Somehow knowing that Alys will be there, hearing and seeing him, made him uncomfortable. Conversation wasn't exactly a part of their relationship.

He had no idea who else would come. _They are just family,_ Mother always said, like this family being Balin or Dwalin or anybody else would not make a difference. To Fíli, it made.

He was fairly sure Thorin would not show up, but he was uncertain about Kíli. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn't. He hoped for the latter. He did not want Alys to see the failure of a brother he became.

 _Breathe,_ he tried to calm himself. _Think of nothing._ He continued to do so until he heard his mother exclaim: "Fíli! I am so glad you are here in time!"

She hugged him fervently, and he buried his nose in her hair. He noticed shallowly the presence of others. Grown dwarves might get embarrassed being hugged by their mother in such way in front of others, but Fíli could never shrug off Mother's embrace. Not even in front of his lover.

"Let me introduce you to our guest!" Mother pushed him away. "Lord Fronn and his family. Well, maybe, you already know him," she nodded to the Lord, while Fíli greeted him. "And this is her Lady wife, Vylis, in between their young sons, Cronn and Dronn." Lady Vylis introduced both boys, respectively. Fíli had a suspicion Mother had no idea which was who. He greeted them all. He tried to recall if Alys had any other siblings to introduce. The tension which he was trying to chase away mere moments before, returned. His nerves were in a state which he could only compare to waiting for a battle to start. He had no idea how she would react to him. _Will they notice anything?_

More disturbing was the notion that he had no idea how he would react.

"They also have a daughter, closer to your age," Mother continued suggestively. "Alys, dear, let me introduce you to my son, Fíli. I think we can leave all the titles outside the door."

He chose to stick with the most formal and distant greeting. He did it often, did he not? He needed all the courage he could gather to look up at her. She wore a light blue dress with thick layers of underskirts, with high neck and long sleeves, laced up on the front and also on the back, he guessed.

She dressed for protection. Like he could take her here, under the watchful eyes of both their families. Still, the dress was very modest, and he thanked her for the effort. She couldn't know that he had seen her naked one too many time to forget.

She wore some adornments in her hair, but his attention turned toward her face. She wouldn't meet his eyes, but one of those cute shy smiles was playing on her lips. At least it was something familiar, and he hoped he would see many more of her smiles tonight. It made him feel comfortably warm, which surprised him.

"And here I am, too, Princeling, you had showered long enough in her smiles," Dwalin interrupted, half joking. Fíli turned to him. The frustration of yesterday was gone from the Captain. He was smiling – how very surprising it may be to their guests! – and slapping his shoulder twice.

"I am so happy you came," Mother turned to Lady Vylis, and their small talk faded to meaningless blabber to Fíli's ear. Dwalin smirked at him while he took Mother's arm, and Lord Fronn his wife's.

Yes, they moved to the side table, for drinks. Alright. Fíli tried to collect himself. Alys was waiting at his side, right. He looked at her and nodded toward the others, but did not offer his arm.

.

Drinks were consumed fast and other guests joined – not guests, _family_ , Fíli corrected himself. Glóin brought his wife and son, Gerda and Gimli. Gimli was a friend once, but after the quest, they both changed too much. He dealt with Glóin regularly, though. He was praying that finances of the state stayed out of these chambers tonight.

Óin was sitting in an armchair, dulling the pains of age with a strong herb tea spiced up with booze.

Mother was inquiring after Thorin, of course, from a guard, but he brought a negative answer. Mahal saved him tonight from him at least, and Balin, as well. Maybe this dinner would not turn out to be a disaster, after all.

Kíli was nowhere in sight either.

Mother led them to the table. Fíli wished for some of the booze Óin smuggled into his tea. His senses needed to dull, too, especially since he sat almost opposite of Alys. He could watch her eat, and he was curious, but also uncomfortable. Normal dwarves ate together all the time, especially those, who courted. Him and Alys though – eating was not part of their relationship, either.

He managed to shut most of the conversation out, only answering shortly to direct questions. Alys did the same; her voice sounded clearer than others'. He watched as her fingers touched the cutlery. She had undwarfishly long fingers. He wanted to lick them, and when Alys did it in an unconscious moment…

…the door opened and Kíli barged in.

"Hello, Mother, everyone, is there any food left?"

"Kíli!" Mother stood to greet her son. "Aren't you a bit late?"

"A lot late, I guess, sorry. I had prior engagements, but I would never avoid a chance to meet new residents of our Mountain." He bowed to Lord Fronn. "Welcome to our Halls and in our home, Lord Fronn. I hope you find Erebor to your liking. You have a wonderful family, as I see," he bowed toward the Lady Vylis and Alys.

Kíli was an unrepentant ass-licker. He praised everything that caught his attention, and Lord Fronn seemed pleased – at least more pleased with Kíli than Fíli, in spite of his late arrival. Lady Vylis smiled widely, and even laughed at his compliments.

Fíli couldn't help rolling his eyes. Kíli had the time to hone his charming skills; good for him. He shouldn't be jealous of his social success, since he was introduced to more important affairs in the meantime. Still, he loathed the moment when Kíli stopped in front of Alys with a low bow, and lifted her hand to kiss it.

He couldn't help the smirk, when Alys shuddered at his touch and pulled her hand away before accepting the kiss. Her sweet smile was nowhere to be seen until she lifted her gaze cautiously toward him. His smirk faded. He wanted to be the one who kissed her hand. Alys unconsciously hid her lips with her unkissed hand, and Fíli stroke his moustache. He was sure that both their minds wandered in the same territory.

"Alys, sweetheart, would you mind my company for the rest of the dinner, wouldn't you?" Kíli sat down next to her. Fíli focused not to show his emotions, when Kíli continued prodding her with questions and instructions – and compliments as well.

.

"We should have some music," Kíli announced when they retreated to a sitting room after eating. Kíli escorted Alys; grabbing her hand again, like she was some swooning tavern wench. Fíli wished Alys would reject Kíli again. Kíli was trying to convince her to sing or dance for entertainment. Most of their guests followed them, but Glóin spoke up.

"Fíli, a word."

Fíli wanted to be with Alys. He wanted to be in Kíli's place, but he couldn't afford to be seen so close to her. He was hoping she wasn't a music enthusiast.

"We need a talk," Glóin grumbled.

"Not here," Dwalin growled back. Fíli was grateful he stayed.

"Where then?"

"Tomorrow?"

Fíli sneaked a cup of fancy, but strong liquor toward himself, but before he could drink it, Dwalin grabbed it and downed it quickly.

"You're gonna say 'tomorrow' again tomorrow," Glóin answered. "We are here now. All who matters."

"And others too," Dwalin shook his head. "None of that talk here."

"But…"

"Prince Fíli, would you mind sharing your opinion on the matter?" Dwalin asked him, disturbing his peaceful bubble of jealousy.

"There is no Prince Fíli in this room," Glóin interjected. "We're family here."

"Exactly, so no state-talk here."

"I won't give my money for charity on your whims. I know you are hiding something, but I earned that gold, and it's mine."

"You will get back every last bit," Fíli assured.

"I don't doubt that. But I want to be clear on the matter. I don't do shady business. I want details and contracts," Glóin demanded. Fíli sighed and reached for the liquor again. Dwalin took it out of his hand and drank it again.

"No more of that, lad. Your mother would not like you getting pissed."

"What are you, my father?" Fíli mumbled.

"So, what do you say?" Glóin didn't let himself be forgotten, and he clearly addressed Fíli this time.

"I say… We should talk about it tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

"Sounds good, but lately, these kind of words means less and less."

"As I said, morning!" Fíli raised his voice. He stood up. He had enough of Glóin's demands, and if he told him alone about Thorin, he would not hear the end of it from Balin. "I'm going… there."

"Easy, lad," he heard Dwalin before shutting the door behind him.

.

Alys sat with Mother and Lady Vylis. The two older Lady was chatting animatedly, while Alys looked distracted and quiet. Maybe this was the real her; quiet and compliant, boring even, if he wanted to be rude. At least Kíli left her alone. By the way, he did not even see Kíli anywhere, nor Gimli. Glóin's wife, Gerda entertained Lord Fronn. Fíli had to choose a company soon; he listened in on the latter pair's topic. They talked about mutual acquaintances, so he could not put in a word. He sat beside Mother. She gave her a serious side look, but her smile did not disappear for a moment.

"Are you looking for female attention, dear son?" Mother teased.

"It seems I found it then," he answered. "Please, continue."

"Oh, I was only sharing some childhood tale of yours, you know…The sons of Vylis remind me very much of another pair of brothers, you may happen to know them. Please, help me out where my knowledge is lacking."

Fíli blushed. His childhood tales, well… Mother loved to share them. It was rarely embarrassing, since she did not want the people to laugh at the expense of her sons, yet, it was Alys who heard it all now. He hoped she had not heard any juicy details.

"I can only hope that they will grow up to be like you," Lady Vylis complimented. She did not elaborate if she meant only Fíli or Kíli, too. Alys coughed.

"I think Mother painted an idealistic picture of us," he answered. No chance he misunderstood the sounds from Alys. Mother offered her a glass of water, but Fíli dared not look her way.

"Oh, no, you should not accuse me so!" Dís intervened, and Lady Vylis commented too:

"You should take credit where credit is due. You have a great responsibility, and as much as I hear it, you are doing a fine job, despite your age. How old are you, exactly, if I may ask?"

"I will be ninety during this winter." He always rounded up his age; he was too young to be taken seriously and ninety sounded much better than eighty-nine. Hundred would sound even better, but… Lady Vylis made a surprised sound, and Alys' glass clinked. Fortunately they were polite enough not to comment any farther on his age.

"He should still be playing around with toy swords," Mother sighed. Fíli thought for a moment to bring up _her_ age. Thankfully, Glóin and Dwalin arrived, without visible injuries. Dwalin sat beside Mother, while Glóin joined his wife. Mother looked at Dwalin and sighed. "Why don't you entertain Alys for a while, Fíli? I think we might be boring her, she's so quiet."

"She is indeed more talkative usually," Lady Vylis confirmed.

"Well, my duty as the host is the help you open up a bit. Please, tell me about your interests!" Mother insisted.

Fíli touched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Alys couldn't utter a word, and her mother noticed her strange behavior. His mother would soon, too. Maybe he was behaving strangely, too. Mother started to list topics, and he recognized _his_ interests. He had to intervene.

"Mother, stop grilling her, she is not as used to you as I am," he chided her, and finally turned to Alys. "You get free sooner if you answer her," he said with a wink. Alys looked up. Her eyes were desperate, but she forced a smile on her features. "Or tell her you are mostly interested in me, she loves to hear that."

The booming laugh of Dwalin saved the situation. Alys blushed so red that Fíli feared her veins would explode. Mother looked at him angrily, and tried to shush Dwalin, while Lady Vylis couldn't decide to calm her daughter or be offended or simply laugh.

"I am sorry for my son's impertinence, Alys," Mother continued. She was determined to make Alys talk. Fíli did not want to wait for her to stumble, but he had no idea how to save her. "But don't be so shy. He was quite the flirt in his time, maybe he forgot how to behave in the presence of Ladies."

Boom. Mother came and won, finding the exact topic he wanted to avoid. Maybe he shouldn't have worried about Alys to make a mistake, he did it just fine.

"Oh, he was? Past tense?"

Fíli felt his confidence sink. Mother laughed; Alys only had to say (more like whisper) one thing, and she and Mother were the best of friends. He should never let them meet.

"Maybe you should see it for yourself?" Fíli offered, before Mother could keep Alys for herself and find out about them. "Let me show you around," he stood up. Alys blushed again, but stood as well, ready to escape.

"Then tell me what you think," Mother called after them.

.

Alys was silent while he was showing her around. The living room where they were in was richly decorated, with reliefs on the walls, some statues and high bookcases on one side. In a corner, they kept musical instruments and in the middle of the room was a table with refreshments.

Fíli groaned inwardly. Alys pretended to be engrossed by a statue, and she had not spoken beyond some words of courtesy. Clearly, she did not want to be with him right now.

"Let's get some refreshment," he said, starting toward the table. He knew his manners was lacking all evening, but he didn't want to encourage Mother to maintain her dreams of finding him a love match. He poured himself a drink, but someone took it out of his hand.

"Thank you," Alys flashed a smile. He sighed and poured himself another. "We should at least be polite to each other, to avoid suspicion. We do not have a reason to be rude or ignorant to each other, to their knowledge," she said.

"So it is my fault?"

"What?" she asked confused.

"Everything?" he spat back angrily, but seeing Alys' shock, he backed off. "Sorry. I'm not exactly angry at you. You are even doing better tonight than me," he admitted. "I'm not good at entertaining you, it seems," he observed. Not even sexually, according to her a few days ago.

"I'm not angry with you, either, but you know that none of it is exactly my fault. Well, I said yes, I guess, but…"

"No more talk of it here!" Fíli hissed. "Dwalin can read from your lips, maybe Mother too."

"Oh."

"Don't go all silent again," he teased.

"I just don't know what to say," she shrugged.

"Anything that comes to your mind, except, you know." He got a smile out of her; a sad one instead of the sweet and shy kind, but a smile nonetheless. "And don't talk to Mother about me ever again," he asked with a slightly threatening undertone.

"Why? She shared some good stories. I think we would find a common ground."

Fíli rubbed the bridge of his nose again.

"Not tonight, please," he asked.

"You look troubled."

"I am."

Alys shortly touched his hand hidden from the others behind the table.

"Come, tell me the story those reliefs around the wall tell," she asked with a sweet smile, pressing her thumb to his palm. "It will relax your mind for a while."

He did just so. The strange thing was, he really felt himself calm down while reciting the stories, thanks to Alys' unwavering attention and the awed smile on her lips. It was lighter and less visible than her usual one, but Fíli found it adorable. As much as he worried about her being here tonight, she saved his evening. There was so much more to her than he knew… but he wanted to know.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading it, I hope you like the new chapter! Thanks for my new followers, too!

SV


	8. Chapter 8

8

Being a proper Lady required to be always well-informed about the social events in the Mountain. The most important of those was considered to be a family dinner with the Royals. Every Ancient Family got invitations every now and then, but it was always good to know how others fared there. For example, the last guests who got honored by the King himself were still getting invitations to everywhere constantly – even if said event took place almost three years previous.

Since the King did not grace these dinners with his presence, the highest available favors were the fancy of the King's Sister and his Heir. Unmarried Ladies competed for the hand of Prince Fíli, but they had to gain Lady Dís' support to achieve this goal. Whole families tried to gain their favors with gifts, pleasing compliments, and if word got out that someone got through to them, that certain someone suddenly became the most popular dwarf in Erebor.

Lady Vylis wasn't exactly aware of all these facts, but she felt she had to share the success of her daughter with her closest acquaintances.

"She engaged him in conversation for more than an hour before we had to leave with the boys," she recalled after detailing the guests, their appearances, the courses and furniture, Kíli's presence and him takin seat beside Alys, and Lady Dís' easy-going nature. "I am positive he enjoyed her company. He offered her a drink, they talked continuously, and both of them smiled often. Lady Dís herself commented how they got on well. I can say the Prince is a very attractive and attentive young dwarf. I only regret that Alys is so shy, she insisted to leave with us, even when Fronn told her that he could stay with her if she wished." She sighed dramatically. "I think Alys was a bit surprised by his attentions. She is so young, maybe she is not ready for courting, but I hope she will get more comfortable with possible suitors."

Her friends all assured her so. She went on to inquire about their news, but they often returned to the topic of their dinner with the Royals.

.

Later that day, Dona called.

"When shall I congratulate you on your conquest?" she whispered to Alys after their greeting. Alys recoiled horrified.

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard the Crown Prince quite enjoyed your company; the whole Mountain is talking about it today," Dona informed her.

Alys gaped, not being able to comment. How did they know?

"Come, sit down – even if you should be the one inviting me to do that, but I see you are speechless. Would you like…"

… _a kiss?_ Alys mind quoted automatically that fateful night.

"… a cup of tea? Chamomile, perhaps?"

"No, thanks." She shuddered at the thought of tea, but she sat down obediently. She felt Dona looking at her, fishing for an explanation. "What did you hear?"

"I've heard you had success. Again, I would like to point out. I let you hide the last time, but twice out of two, I can't do that."

Alys blushed, but stayed quiet. Unfortunately, Dona too, and Alys knew that she was the only one who felt this silence pregnant.

"I don't understand how they know that we talked. And is it such a rare occurrence?"

Dona shook her head.

"Let me tell you what I know while you collect your thoughts. Then, tell me what really happened, alright?"

Alys nodded.

"Some of Donos friends came over, they told me all I know. They were talking about you, interested in you, to be exact. They told that both Princes were vying for your attention all evening, but Kíli had to leave after dinner, so now, Fíli is in the better position to win your affections." Dona left out the parts where the dwarves discussed Alys' potential appeal, and continued: "After dinner, Prince Fíli had only eyes for you. He listened to every sound you made and he shared his drink with you and that he is all enamored and distracted today," Dona explained with theatrical gestures, but suddenly turned serious: "I also have to warn you that while they wondered about your pending courtship, they mentioned the malicious jealousy of some lasses, like Miri. You have to be careful around her, regardless of your courtship with the Prince happening or not."

Alys buried her face in her hands. Had Fíli also heard these rumors? He would kill her next time – in the best case.

"I quite like this story, and I cannot wait for you to confirm it. Or deny. It will make me the best-informed dwarrowdam in the whole Mountain," Done joked, trying to ease her tension.

"It is true both of them talked to me during the evening," she started. "Is it such… unheard of? Lady Dís told us tales about them, and she said both of them liked to flirt."

"Liked," Dona emphasized. "As far as I know, it is still true about Prince Kíli. He is rumored to spend a lot of time with different… well, anyone female. Ladies or servants, dwarves and mankind… He is popular and he enjoys it. You should not be concerned about the rumors of him and you. Prince Fíli, however… I remember when I met him at dinners like yours. He was polite but not friendly. He complimented me, but he wasn't showing any interest at all. He answered questions, but barely asked, and mostly from Father or Donos. He stayed all night, but I don't think I've seen him smile."

"Really?" This was not the Fíli Alys knew. Well, she suspected that she knew a very different Fíli from his public image. The Fíli Dona described was a cold and collected politician, and as far as she remembered, she had never seen that side of him. The bits about Kíli, however, calmed her mind. Kíli made her really uncomfortable – he admired her openly, and she wondered if he would make the same offer as his brother, only publicly. She did not dare to imagine Fíli's reaction to that. Would he be jealous? Angry? Uninterested?

"Why? Did you?"

Alys did not answer right away.

"You did! He smiled for you! He likes you!"

"No! No such thing is happening!" Alys tried to crush Dona's enthusiasm. "Will you really listen if I tell you everything? Do you promise to not tell anyone?"

"Of course," Dona promised. "You don't need more gossiping."

Alys was grateful. Maybe Dona could offer advice, but naturally, she would not tell _everything._

"Prince Kíli was very embarrassing. He wanted to kiss my hand and touch me several times. Not improperly, but I'm not used to it."

"You should be," Dona said. "I can help with that if you want. I have already offered my brother, you know."

"I know," Alys said. "I don't know how to do these things."

"No one knows at first. Lads are confusing. They are… well, you have to learn dealing with them. It's not easy, and your brothers are too young to practice on, but you have to learn to direct them where you want them. You have to make them bend to your will. Donos is easy practice, I should say again."

"Are you trying to set me up with your brother on purpose?"

"On purpose of you gaining some experience," Dona smirked. "So that you can handle Prince Kíli easily. What happened with Fíli, though?"

Alys shut her eyes for a moment.

"Nothing, really. We went to another room after dinner. Lady Dís told Mother childhood stories of her sons, when Prince Fíli joined us. I think I said something that…" Alys remembered his words about her being interested in him. She was angry that he teased her so openly… "I shouldn't have. I thought he found it offensive, but he offered to save me. I think he didn't like that Lady Dís told us those things about him," Alys shrugged.

"You said something offensive? Now, that is one thing I can't believe. What was it?" Dona chuckled incredulously. Alys repeated the words, and Dona started to laugh uncontrollably.

"It was not offensive, it was _flirty_ ," she explained when she calmed down enough. "I think he liked it. After that, he spent his time only with you?"

Alys nodded.

"Did he smile?" She nodded again. "Laugh?"

"I think so." It sounded like a suppressed chuckle, at the least.

"Ask any questions?"

"Yes."

"What did you two talked about?"

"History… and those reliefs in the room. He sounded very proud of his ancestors."

Dona laughed. "You just confirmed all the rumors circling about you. When shall I congratulate then?"

"What do you mean?" Alys was truly frightened.

"Well, as I said, he never shows any interest to anyone. Father says he is too young for his responsibilities, and that's why he is so reserved, but you…"

"I did nothing!"

Dona looked at her, not understanding her friend's vehemence.

"Alright. I already promised not to say a word, and I will shred every word of gossip that reaches me. But tell me one more thing: would you welcome his attentions, should he decide to court you?"

"I don't think he will." Alys stated with all her confidence. It may be that Fíli enjoyed spending time with her, in one way or another. It may be that every living soul in the Mountain was thinking they would be courting each other. It may be… anything may happen, but there were only two dwarves who knew exactly what was between Fíli and her. She was sure they were very far from courting.

"Then practice on Donos. And decide later, but not too late. Even if he waits for you, I know of many other who would readily step in your place, starting with Miri."

Alys contemplated Dona's words. She wondered if she should start meeting with Donos, but somehow it felt like a betrayal to Fíli. Still, gossip was spreading, and maybe he too wanted to stop it.

"I've heard he's good at kissing," Dona winked at her. She did not clarify if she was talking about Donos or Fíli, and Alys did not ask.

.

Glóin had a particular talent to cause Fíli headache. He knocked on his door even before breakfast.

"It's 'tomorrow', Princeling. I know you're in there. You promised a talk!"

Fíli struggled with insomnia for a while now, and he was grateful for every full night of sleep which he could get without 'medical help', as he called the teas and drugs he was given. The previous evening spent with Alys (and succesfully keepeing their secret) brought a calmness for his mind which he had not felt recently. He slept soundly for hours until Glóin's violent pounding woke him.

By the time the Personal Royal Council gathered into his study, he was in a foul mood. Balin arrived the latest, and Fíli immediately get down to facts.

"Glóin needs to be informed about our situation and thus, he is to sign a contract, and is to be included in this council if he wishes so."

"Why do you think it is necessary?" Balin argued. "You should have consulted with me about this."

"I did not. He came to me, Dwalin was also present, and Mother agreed already. I also want to include Nori in the very same way, he already knows everything, and we need assurance he won't talk."

Balin stood speechless, considering everything Fíli listed. He was right at everything, still, the way he informed him… Balin did not like when Fíli started to make decisions all alone.

"Votes?" Balin insisted.

"Anyone against Glóin?"

"What the buggering hell is this creation?" Glóin growled. Fíli shot a victorious look toward Balin.

"Glóin, this is a secret council. Sort of, if you allow me to be so informal, since it is only family. We will make a contract though, since everything you hear here is to stay secret. Do not even tell your wife. No one. Understood?"

"No need to be so grumpy, I know it's big," Glóin muttered. He started to regret his early arrival to Fíli's door.

"Why exactly are you taking the reins?" Balin interrupted. Glóin ducked his head; how could Balin not see the mood Fíli was in?

Fíli only took a deep breath. He recalled Alys taking his hand; her soft touch and smile, her calming presence. He wished for it now. Maybe he should try sleeping with her one night.

"I will ignore any interruption from now on. Any question that comes up can be addressed after I summarized all the necessary information." He took another deep breath and looked at Mother. She was smiling, so his attitude was acceptable. "Thorin is sick, again. It was gradual, but we are sure for a year and a half. He is getting worse, sometimes slowly, sometimes there is a sudden drop… He is not fighting it anymore. He is guarding the gold like a dog guards the bone it's chewing on. He would not let one coin out of his sight, not for any reason, which is why we had to ask for your help in urgent matters. We don't always have the time to wait for him to fall asleep, and he is used to surviving on hard conditions, so he rarely needs to eat or drink or sleep. He is uninterested in everything but his treasure. We tried to keep it secret, but people notice that he is withdrawn. We try to take care of him and keep Erebor stable. Nori also knows things since we use his abilities from time to time, for spying and smuggling money out behind Thorin's back. That's why _I_ think we should include him in this council, it's not like he doesn't know everything. Any questions?"

A deafening silence followed his words. He looked everyone in the face. Mother was still smiling; it was strange. Did he do something good? Bad? Dwalin was sitting beside Mother, his gaze dark and his support clear. Balin was shaking his head disapprovingly, preparing a chastening speech, but he will not listen today. Glóin was scratching his head; everyone was waiting for him to react.

"Will he come back, like before?" he asked finally, still turning to Fíli.

"We don't think so. As I said, he doesn't fight it anymore. He craves the gold and he takes it, simple as that."

"Is it worse than the last time?"

"Yes." Fíli was sure about the answer. "Last time, he was on a downward spiral for a shorter time, weeks only, then, he surrendered to the sickness under great emotional trials. When the focus of those emotions changed, he came back. He was fighting it since, day by day, and we have no idea when he started to… to rest. It was very hard, you have to know that." Fíli said those words mostly to remind himself, since he often had very unbecoming thoughts about Thorin. "I don't blame him."

"That is very nice, lad, but it makes him unfit to be King." Glóin said the words-that-shall-not-be-spoken, and the air froze. Balin spoke.

"It's not that easy, cousin. We owe him too much to simply cast him aside because of his…" Balin tried to find a euphemism, but Glóin preferred honesty.

"I do not deny or belittle any of his doings, but he is sick. He is not the dwarf he was. This… whatever this is, is only a temporary play to deceive our folks. I will not stand for it for long. He has a perfectly capable heir who should continue in the line of rulers, the sooner the better."

"This is not so simple, Glóin, we have been arguing about it since we noticed the alterations in his behavior." Trust Balin to protect Thorin's rights in every matter.

"But, this is an argument for another meeting, so please, everyone, leave. I am yet to eat my breakfast. Glóin, think about what you learned, and we shall make a proper contract tonight after dinner. Thank you all for your time." He was surprised how efficient his words proved to be. He shut the door behind them, and only then he let his mind replay Glóin's words: _…he has a perfectly capable heir…_

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you like the new chapter! Thanks for the review, 'Guest'! I think Fíli is a loving person when he has no reason to be different. I plan to involve Dís more into the story.


	9. Chapter 9

9

"Lady Alys, I am so glad I finally made your acquaintance, I am fairly sure we will be the best of friends!" The sickeningly sweet greeting of Lady Sabelle came in the company of a tight hug and two beard-tangling kisses on her cheeks. Alys had just met her here, at Lady Hena's, but she felt she was intruded upon her privacy in the very first moment. Lady Sabelle had a high-pitch voice with a singsong intonation. Alys wished she talked less.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Lady Sabelle," she curtsied and stepped aside. She went to find some of the spicy hot chocolate which Lady Hena promised her if she came. It seemed she caught upon her disinclination for tea the last time she visited. Lady Hena was offering cookies to the others sitting on the sofas and armchairs, ever the dutiful housewife. She was older than Alys ( _who weren't?_ she thought), married, but had a younger sister, who planned to reside with her in the near future. Alys hoped her sister resembled her. Lady Hena was well-connected and some seen her as boastful, but Alys felt her kindness inartificial.

"Here, Alys, will you sit with me?" Lady Sabelle grabbed her hand forcefully. Alys pulled it back reflexively.

"I'm sorry, Lady Sabelle, but I am waiting for someone," she turned away.

She told the truth: she asked Dona to join her if she had to set her feet into a Ladies' event. A few of them she had already found scary, but now that they could be vengeful because of _gossips…_

 _Praise Mahal they don't know the truth,_ she thought. Dona was late and she already had a new friend, who she did not wish for. Oh, she wished for more friends, how could she not? But she felt Lady Sabelle wasn't the perfect candidate.

"Lady Alys, why don't you sit somewhere?" Lady Hena approached her. "The hot chocolate I promised must be on the way," she added with a smile. Alys used the same excuse she said to Lady Sabelle, only Lady Hena did not force her presence on her.

"I will go speak to the maids now, make yourself at home, please," she nodded. Alys looked over at the others. Seven dwarrowdam occupied the room; Sabelle was currently complimenting Miri, the wealthiest of them, on her jewellery. Miri looked pleased, and recalled the whole story and costs of purchasing it. Other two, who Alys had never met before in private listened to her with admiration. Lady Tere inspected a harp on the other side of the room, while adding details to her sister's, Fere's report of another event. Alys had never met the Lady listening to them, but she heard she was called Silja. Where was Dona, though?

Alys stayed beside the wall for a few moments. She found it fortunate that she and Dona decided to arrive separately – they came from different directions, but not too far. On her way, Alys had a creepy feeling that someone followed her. She listened for footsteps, but there were none – when a finger brushed her hand. Her stalker was good, far too good to her liking, even if it turned out to be only Fíli.

"Why did you not scream?" he inquired.

"I felt it was you. And who else it might be?"

Fíli seemed pleased with the answer and pulled her into a doorway. "I hope no one, but you tell me if you have any trouble."

"You count too?" she asked innocently. He bit his lip, then held her closer and playfully bit her lip. "Ow, did I deserve this?" She tried to get away, but he held her firmly.

"Maybe, but you certainly deserve this," he said and kissed her. It lasted longer than any of their previous kisses, and Fíli was gentler, curious even, like he wanted to discover her whole mouth with his tongue. The dance of their tongues felt way more sensual than before, and she completely snuggled herself into his arms in the meantime. When he separated their lips, he touched his forehead to her. This position was very intimate, and she sighed relishing in his closeness.

"Thank you."

She wasn't sure what he felt thankful for, but if it was for letting him take liberties, this was the first time he thanked her. If he had another reason, well, it was still a first. She gave a peck on his lips, waiting for him to go on with whatever he planned. He deepened the kiss again, like he tried to get sucked into her, lost in her… She pulled one of her hands out of his hair and stroked the tresses out of his face. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Not that I can help," he said cryptically. "But you, you are helping matters, every time I see you. Meet me tonight. I have a secret place for us. You'll like it. Here, the map. Be there before sunset."

The next moment, he left. He did not wait for an answer, Alys knew he was confident she would go and honestly, she did not have a reason to stay away.

Except for the gossips, of course. She should have asked him if he heard. Maybe they should part ways until it is safe again. Maybe Fíli did not care about such mundane things.

"Sorry to be late," she heard Dona stopping beside her. "Did you have any trouble?"

Alys smirked. She played with the thought of saying Fíli, but what was the point? She mentioned Lady Sabelle, though. Dona wrinkled her nose.

"You got the most clingy and unoriginal follower from now on," she confirmed. "Lady Hena?"

"She went to the kitchen."

"Good, let's go greet her!" Alys, remembering their argument before going to the training yard, did not comment how inappropriate it was to surprise someone in their own kitchen. "Lady Hena! Lady Hena! I'm here!"

Lady Hena rushed out to meet them, but to Alys' relief, she didn't look outraged that they intruded her here; quite the opposite. Dona gave her a drawing and they discussed how it would fit on different pieces of a tea-set; Dona wanted to start a business on her own, and Lady Hena offered her help. Alys was amazed that Dona felt so confident in dictating the new fashion, and she wished her success. She briefly wondered if she was expected to do the same, but Dona was about a decade older that her, so she decided to worry about it later.

.

 _Everyone should run her own business,_ she thought several hours later. Not long after Alys and Dona joined the others, Tere and Fere started asking questions about the Prince. They listened to the answers like they wanted to memorize it at once, but also filling in the missing information with their imagination. Soon, Miri outright stated that she didn't believe a word about the Prince's attraction toward Alys. Dona argued for a while; Miri's childish responses amused her greatly. Miri repeated this statement several times during the afternoon. Lady Sabelle was torn between her new idol and the old. The other two ladies supported Miri, and reassured everyone, that Alys is very sweet, but not very interesting, pretty, but not breathtaking or fashionable, and she was too young for marriage, anyway. Alys actually agreed with the last point, and said so. Miri praised her virtue for accepting her shortcoming so much that she condescendingly offered her company and advice to Alys from time to time.

Lady Silja sat in silence during most of the gathering. She accepted Alys' story, did not make any comment, and briefly asked her if the Princes played their flutes. Alys' negative answer silenced her again for a while, but she kept looking at her, making the young lady very uncomfortable.

Alys couldn't help her fidgeting in the last quarter of an hour. She was antsy; she had no idea how to behave in the center of attention, and while she knew that her connections raised her family's reputation, she wished she could find another way.

She had another way, actually; and Fíli asked her to meet him. She tried to calm down one last time, wondering how deep her morals had sunk if she preferred a secret affair with the Crown Prince to a proper social event.

Dona engaged Lady Hena in conversation on the far side of the room. The others would not miss her, so she stood to announce her depart. Dona worried about walking her home, since she promised her support and was doing poorly so far, but Alys lived close, and she had so much thinking to do!

First, she fished the hand-drawn map out from her dress. Fíli said 'before sunset', and she had much time until then. The dress she wore was fancy, but appropriate for the occasion - fortunately, otherwise she should explain why she changed. The map was easy to read even for her untrained eyes. She adored the lines Fíli drawn for her, then, she hurried to the right direction.

When she arrived, sunset was still far away. She noticed the gap she was supposed to climb through: the bottom just over the height of her chin, the top maybe half her height over her head. She frowned at the task; she had not crawled like this for decades. Maybe she could wait for Fíli here… but this part was only rarely used, not fully abandoned. She decided not to take risks, so she climbed.

She fumbled a bit with her footing, and bent down to smooth her skirt out of the way. She nearly screamed when her other hand got covered by another.

"Shh, it's me," she heard Fíli's voice.

"You scared the life out of me!" she hissed, but grabbed Fíli's hand.

"Let me help you out," he offered, and his help was much appreciated.

She glanced out of the gap, and the view was so breathtaking that she halted.

"Hey, sweetheart, your legs are still inside and the view will not escape," Fíli commented. Alys quickly stepped through the gap, and Fíli lifted her down, softly squeezing her hips. "See?"

"Beautiful," she admitted.

"It will get better. Come, I found a place where we can… meet unnoticed." He led her onto a narrow shelf. She grasped onto his hand with her full strength: she had been out of the Mountain before, and she walked safely on narrow paths over great heights, but the two combined made her dizzy. The world outside was so bright and huge and colorful, she felt a pull to merge into this chaotic beauty, but she also knew that falling down on the side of the Mountain could easily be fatal.

Fíli's grip was firm while leading her through the shelf. Looking back it appeared to be wider and less dangerous. Maybe it was; but her attention turned toward the small, cozy cave they were standing in.

"This is it. Once, I was called to inspect if that gap we came through was dangerous, I climbed out and found this place. I quite forgot about it until now. It is small, we can make it very comfortable, it is well protected against the forces of nature inside, and there is only one entrance, where we came," he counted the pros.

"The view is wonderful, too."

"Yes, day and night. I want to show you once the starry sky. I know we dwarves live under mountains, but _I_ grew up here and there, and sometimes, there was nothing over my head but the black sky spotted with thousands tiny lights, ordered into patterns." Fíli was still holding her hand, but his other hand gestured vividly to illustrate the picture he must be seeing in his mind. Alys had seen the starry sky once or twice, but the impressions she had weren't deep enough because of the lack of knowledge behind them. She knew it was spectacular, but Fíli seemed to have a more detailed and personal view.

"It sounds very romantic," she sighed, and sobered immediately. "I mean, the starry night, not living under the sky. That must be very uncomfortable, I…"

Fíli interrupted her with a kiss.

"Romantic, huh?" he asked, disbelieving. "I think you should know best that I am not that kind of a person anymore."

But something had changed between them, within Fíli, to be exact. Before, he appeared in one moment to take his pleasure, and he was gone in the next. Now, he was confiding in her with something emotional.

"Don't you want to kiss me?" she asked him, not knowing what to say or do. Kissing may lead to more, and he liked that part. Fíli smiled sadly, but kissed her again, a bit more passionately this time. When she was tugging his shirt up to uncover his stomach, he backed away and just looked at her actions with a questioning smile. She immediately shied away, but he put her hand back in place, and stretched his muscles under her palm smugly.

"Do you like it?" he asked, and she nodded. "Feel free to touch anywhere. I can see you are curious."

Alys hesitated for a moment before she freed him from his shirt and soon, all his other clothes. She had never seen him completely naked before and he was a sight to behold. He laid down the cloak he brought, and sat down.

"Unless you want me standing?" he offered, then corrected himself. "As you can see, I am still standing, in a way. Will you come over?"

Alys blinked to clear her head. "Should I take off my clothes too?"

"Whatever you want," sounded the helpful reply.

She took them off, just in case. She sat down beside Fíli, and pushed him to lay down. His eyes held a cheerful curiosity, which she had not seen before, and it gave her the courage to touch his chest.

"I am not made of glass," he smirked. This made her touch bolder. She pressed her palm to his warm skin and started slowly roaming around with it. He closed his eyes, and she inched closer. His shoulders were wide and muscled, his stomach toned, and she couldn't decide where to proceed to. Her courage did not spread further, but his relaxed state assured that she had time.

"Don't you want to kiss me?" Fíli asked. She kissed his lips shortly, before he added: "Kiss me wherever you want."

She sat up confused, but decided to try his neck. He did the same for her, and she liked it. His skin tasted strange, salty and warm. She had no idea how he should taste, so she just kissed him again and again. Actually, the more she kissed him the more she liked it. She left out his nipples; they were not so different from hers, except for the padding beneath. Her breasts fit well in his hands, but what should she do with his? Every time she lost some confidence, she looked at his face. He laid there with his eyes closed, very still. Now, during her nipple-debacle, his lips turned slightly upward.

"What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you laughing at me?" She felt a bit hurt.

"I am not laughing, I am smiling," he made a distinction. "Come here."

She decided to try a new approach. He tried to get up when he felt her move, but she pushed him back and straddled him. Her mirthful expression soon turned into one of surprise when she realized what the hardness at her bottom was. Now, Fíli laughed shamelessly at her.

"Now, that's a good plan, sweetheart! Will you go through with it, or shall I?"

Alys blushed. Her first try at pleasuring him had gone a disturbing way, but how should she know? Ladies were not supposed to know about these things until they married. Though, these things must be equally confusing after the marriage ceremony. Except if the ceremony itself inflicted this knowledge into their heads, but she sincerely doubted it.

The soft brush of his hand on her red cheek came as a surprise.

"Don't be so shy, not with me," Fíli pleaded with a short kiss. "We are in this together, and I will not let you go now." He kissed her again, and laid her down on the cloak. "Now remind me again, how should we reach your pleasure?"

This question freed a hot wave in her, like her body started to speak a language she did not speak with her mind. She leaned closer to Fíli's chest, massaging him with her breasts. His fingers fumbled at her entrance, and she reached there to lead him to the exact place. He stroked her with his cock, and soon she started sighing. He took it as a sign to push into her, and their bodies found the rhythm they both got to know well lately. He sat up, lifting her into his lap, continuously bouncing her in his arms, but in a moment, she felt the power between them shift: he let her define their moves. She tried to pull him deeper inside her, a bit slower than he did, and in the end, it came to fruition. She felt it all build up and crash down on her hard. She collapsed in his arms, and he embraced her tighter and tighter, his presence consuming her.

They stayed that way for a while, like they did in the sewing room. She noticed their heart beating in synchrony, as well as their swallows of breath came together, like they were one.

Fíli pulled himself together first.

"See? I needed help, too. Sex is about collaboration and discovery. Don't be shy with me."

Alys nodded; her mind was still foggy, barely comprehending anything. She was not much sharper when they sat in front of their cave in the light of the setting sun, surrounded by the beauty and calmness of the world falling asleep around them, but he was holding her, and she was snuggling to him; everything else left forgotten in the Mountain behind them.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for following, Decepticon Chick and Selene Tyler Smith, and for the review, Aranel Mereneth! Hope you liked the new chapter! SV


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** It took a little longer than usually, yeah. But I finished my thesis, finally. Also, this chapter is a first for me: I never published more than nine chapter of a story, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I hope that you enjoy it, too :)

* * *

10

The tension in the council room was growing every second, although only three dwarves occupied the place. Glóin and Balin stood on opposite sides of the table, in a heated debate about the handling of Thorin's condition. Nori was abusing a chair with rocking it back and forth on two, sometimes one leg, while comfortably sitting on it, enjoying the scene.

Nori had only got his invitation to this secret council he knew to exist since the beginning. He found the contract highly amusing since they all knew how trustworthy he proved to be so far. He did not utter any word about Thorin to anyone - but he had to admit to keep some… _things,_ like coins and crumbles of information to himself. It was in his nature, but no one seemed to mind.

He took his inclusion in this mighty organization quite peacefully, contrary to the other newbie. Glóin felt his responsibility to voice the ridiculous ideas of dethroning Thorin, or revealing his sickness, or simply appoint Fíli official regent or something. Glóin wanted a honest and simple way to solve this situation. He had no sense of subtlety, he could not appreciate the small details of running this kingdom smoothly.

He had the sense to trust Fíli's ability to rule, however, which made him a great ally if Nori wanted a change. Nori admired the patience with which Fíli handled this whole situation, but he knew it was taking a toll on him. Fíli changed; he hardened much and he kept his head cool in public, but his sleep was fitful and his high spirits were gone. Still, one thing bothered Nori greatly: where did he channel all these negative impulses?

Glóin had no such concerns, and right now his fists were pounding on the table, spouting some nonsense about locking Balin in the treasury with Thorin. Nori quite lost the current of the debate when they started with personal attacks. He was waiting for Glóin to lose it and storm out, thus leaving him alone with Balin.

Balin was a curious case, with all the fussing over Thorin, keeping the line pure, respecting elders and bollocks about Fíli not being ready. He behaved as if Fíli was a threat to the throne, not the next in line. Nori knew there must be a secret he was not let on in, and it was so carefully guarded, that he only identified two dwarves in possession of this knowledge: Balin and Dís.

Mahal save him from the wrath of that dwarrowdam; he had to approach the lesser of two evils.

Balin sighed deeply, his head hung low, then slipped out of the room. Nori jumped, letting his chair loudly falling on the floor.

"Hey, sneaky! A little backup would've been nice!" Glóin growled, but Nori did not care. He needed Balin alone, but that cunning old bastard had some quickness in his limbs, after all.

.

Fíli avoided Alys for a week, before he had to face her again. At first, Alys supposed that the sudden emotionality scared him off; she always thought the Prince found his physical release with her, and she was at least as uncomfortable after their wonderful encounter as she supposed him to be. Three days later, her desire overcame her shyness, and since then, she feared there was more to Fíli's absence. Maybe he wasn't bothered by opening up to her, but then, why did he stay away? They had the chance to meet at public places several times and she went to their 'secret place', too. She left a message there since she had no idea how they were supposed to arrange their meetings, but it was still untouched, and she did not understand: why would he go so far to show her that place if he did not plan to use it?

Dona said lads were confusing creatures. Fíli was one for sure.

She wondered shortly if she had done anything wrong, but she couldn't think of any.

She tried to live her life as she always did, but things changed.

Before the dinner with the Royals, she was mostly unnoticed during social events. Since then, many, who ignored her before sought out her company. She tried to avoid several of them (like Lady Sabelle), but Dona clang to her side, and found great amusement conversing with these sycophants. Alys then tried to leave them alone, but it did not work, since they followed her immediately – they saw Dona as an accessory on her side. She asked Dona to ignore them, but she didn't seem capable to do that.

Lady Miri required her company several times during the week, in most inappropriate times, like she had some hidden sense to be the most inconvenient at all times.

Before, Alys thought she would give anything to be admitted to Erebor's highest social circle, where she was supposed to belong. Now, when she got it, she found it oppressive and she longed for the simple environment in which she lived in the outer parts of the Hills, where she only had to deal with dwarves she or her family knew for a long time.

Miri asked for her company again. Apparently, she was invited to a dinner with the Royals, and she wanted Alys' help to appear the most appealing.

"Which dress do you think I should wear?" Miri led her into her dressing chamber. Her family was one of the richest in Erebor, but Alys was rendered speechless at the sight of their wealth. Miri had a room bigger than a miner's home, only to store her dresses. "What did you wear?"

Alys contemplated what should she tell. She found impossible that Miri did not know the smallest detail about that dinner, so she reluctantly told her the truth. She thought that a dress would not place Miri in Fíli's favor, still… Fíli avoided her, and if Miri was to seduce him…

She felt jealous. She wanted to go there and ask Fíli what was his problem. She wanted to tell him that she was tired of his mood swings. In her calmer moments, she suspected he had a good reason to be so unpredictable, even if he did not talk about it. However, she had less and less of those moments the longer he was missing from her life, and she wanted an explanation. She would be content with a rude rejection, if she knew where she stood with him.

Miri was prattling about the significance of her appearance at the dinner.

"I guess Prince Fíli prefers a traditional and modest dwarrowdam," she enlightened Alys. Her conclusion was correct based on the facts she knew, but Alys had to stifle a laugh. "Did you really talk to him about his family history? He must be proud of it. Did you talk about his recent ancestors, like King Thrór or King Thorin, or rather the old ones like Durin the Deathless?"

"He mentioned both," Alys said. She did not want to share more detail with her than necessary. As far as she knew, Fíli did not like to speak about his closest relations – and closest meant at least five generations for him.

"Did he wear any jewels? I should wear something to match him."

"I don't really know…" Alys sighed. She knew too well. When they met accidentally, Fíli always wore several rings, a thick golden chain with a pendant on his neck, golden hair beads and a slacker earring in his left ear. During the dinner, he looked very different: his rings were gone, just like the necklace; she found out they were Royal symbols. He sported several simple earrings in his left ear (but strangely, none in the right), and his braids were exceptionally stylish. "I think he wore the Royal symbols," she shrugged.

 _Maybe if Miri sees a different looking Fíli than she describes, she will take the hint that he is not interested in her_ , Alys thought. Miri was just that shallow.

"Would you mind if I take my leave now?" Alys asked suddenly. She was on the edge of losing her patience, so she wanted to quit. "I promised Mother to help with the boys."

"Oh, your brothers!" Miri exclaimed. "This is exactly what a modest and traditional Lady would do. Maybe I will tell Fíli how much I help in the household, and how I care about our employees… Why I don't have a little brother or sister? Do you think he will appreciate my generosity?"

Alys knew nothing about Miri's generosity, but she acquiesced for the sake of peace. Maybe Miri's tales would bore Fíli so much that…

"You can go, of course," Miri dismissed her. "You will be the first to know about the details, I promise."

Alys felt so very grateful that she would have to endure her boasting before anyone else…

"I hope you will not feel uncomfortable with me if he likes me, you have to remember that your help is vital in my success."

Alys shut the door behind her a bit more forcefully than needed. Success? Vital? She can arrange that, she decided.

.

A day passed, again, with the neverending tasks of ruling and without seeing Alys. Fíli unconsciously counted the days: a week, already, and he almost ached for her.

He tried to occupy his thoughts with various topics, yet, nothing willed his desire away. He was surprised by the force of his craving, but he had to admit the power she held over him by letting him touching her. He knew the calming effects of a woman's services, but it was different.

She was different. She was more. She gave her sanctuary from his troubles, she did not know about his failings, and she did not ask for more than he gave. It wasn't fair toward her, he knew – but his need for her grew with every meeting, every day their affair lasted.

Maybe she was the one to make him so excited, waking long forgotten feelings in him, or maybe the thrill of secrecy, taking the forbidden fruit… and such a sweet one.

Of course it had to be a lie.

He should have had his suspicions since the beginning. She admitted that she had planned their dance and used him to climb the social ladder. He shouldn't have forgotten her real desires and the crooked ways of her mind.

She wasn't so stupid to believe the gossips could remain hidden from him. It took a day and a half to reach him. He heard from Glóin, who assured him that the lass in question was quite comely, and when he listened to conversations on his way to one place to another, he got to know where the tale came from.

They made only one promise to each other: secrecy; and strictly speaking, she betrayed it.

His first reaction though, was to ignore the gossiping and continue with his routine. Then he became aware of her newfound popularity; this made him angry. How dare she use him to overcome her social ineptitude! He wanted to punish her, but the pictures he had in mind, well, didn't look too punishing. The best way to really punish her was probably to cut ties and ignore her, be the cool and collected heir he has been to everyone else.

As days passed, it proved to be a punishment for him as well. Aside from her reasons, he enjoyed her company, and now, he was sitting in his study, going quickly through his alcohol stock. In his close-to-inebriated state, he still remembered to read and categorize the requests of the people. Alcohol seemed to ease this task remarkably, and his judgment came faster.

He only stopped when he saw her name.

At first, he thought he was hallucinating, but the letter was real. She was asking for a personal audience with him, as soon as possible; preferably the next day.

His first impulse said to outright deny it; then his survival instinct kicked in and he hid the letter in his pocket. The letter was delivered with the seal intact, and a bogus name was written on the outside, so no one knew about her approaching him; however she would do it again if he ignored her this time. How far she would go? What did she want?

.

He decided to find her and put an end to her ambitions the next day. He excused himself from the afternoon session of the Council, where everyone participated whom he wanted to avoid. His slight hangover and sleep-deprived look enhanced the effect of his plea for rest. He left the council room, and went to find Alys. She wrote in the letter when and where to find her; her afternoon was free, and she offered to meet at the cave he foolishly showed her.

She was sitting on the shelf; she must have overcome the acrophobia she experienced the last time.

"Thank you for taking the time to accept my request to talk, Your Highness," she greeted him with words dripping with irony. She stood up carefully to face him and she looked angry.

"Thank you for using me in your petty social schemes," he responded in kind.

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you happy with your new friends?"

"What new friends?" Her incredulity was convincing, he had to give her that.

"The ones you gained through my keen interest in you."

Alys furrowed her brows. She slowly took in what he said, and buried her face in her hands.

"You heard the rumors, didn't you?" Fíli stayed silent, urging her to explain, but she only sat down with hunched shoulders. "Are you angry that I wanted to talk to you? I mean, it's probably not safe to meet, what if we are seen together and we have to court and all and…"

"What are you talking about?" Fíli interrupted harshly. Something did not sit well within him concerning their situation. Was Alys pretending to be ashamed? Was she trying to further deceive him? Was her sweetness a lie all along? _Was it perhaps real?_ Her shaking shoulders told differently, and he crouched beside her. "Tell me. I am willing to listen now, and only now. Talk."

She obeyed his orders, and explained how she discovered the rumors and how it affected her. Her shaky voice soon turned to confident when she told about other dwarrowdams competing with her for his hand. He sat beside her, enjoying the comfortable warmth of her voice.

"I hate it. They all want you, and they think they can get to you through me, and they don't believe me that they can't. Can they?"

Fíli hesitated for a moment, then firmly said: "No. They can't."

"I am sorry. I did not want to make you angry, but I am not part of it. How do you think I will be affected when the truth comes to light?"

"It won't."

"It would affect me, you know." Fíli did not care to correct her that he meant it wouldn't come to light, and his thoughts wandered, while she waited for any more comment.

"Alys, why are you with me?" he asked. He had to ask. She said she wasn't the conniving, disgusting creature he accused her to be – but if she was honest, what did she want? She did not have an immediate answer.

"I… don't know." He raised an eyebrow, but didn't look at her. "I don't even know why I accepted you at the first time. Later… I had no reason to… to say no."

His heart sank hearing this indifferent answer. Still, what did he expect? A sappy declaration of love? He would push her off the edge had she said so. He cringed at his cynical thought; he did not want to hurt her. He did not want her to be so… submissive. He liked when she relaxed and opened up, and took matters into her own hand. He found her to be pretty great to spend time with. Were his feelings so one-sided? He felt stupid and angry, and he wanted to force a reaction out of her.

"That's all?" he asked, leaning to her ear, softly biting her earlobe. She sighed, and he pulled her in his lap, straddling him. The only things keeping her from falling down the Mountain were his arms, yet, she did not even flinch – she kept kissing him, his moustache, him kissing her throat…

It was passion, Fíli realized. Passion kept them together, he admitted reluctantly, but if she felt it, he couldn't tell. Maybe she just reacted accordingly to his every move, maybe she used him…

He was rough, again, but she did not shy away. She helped his hand to move her skirts out of the way, and directed his cock inside her. He pulled at her long braid and she leaned back, to be supported by his arm, while he kissed her neck until he left a mark. Later, he would admire her courage and trust in him, but in these moments, he only cared for their pleasure. Despite his roughness, he tried to make her feel it too; he sensed the waves of pleasure building inside her. Then, she looked him in the eyes.

He tensed. She was a miracle and he wanted her. Her eyes spoke of the same, but her mind wasn't ready. And she was so young…

He so hated that excuse.

She took over to dictate the rhythm, and her climax came soon. His cock reacted immediately, and he never before felt so complete.

Still…

He had a character treat that made him an excellent ruler, while at the same time, was a setback in his personal life. He was always too _aware:_ aware of himself, aware of others, aware of his surroundings and the facts that concerned his life. He always knew how to stay on his feet, even if he was the only one still standing in the end.

"You're not going to have a reason to say no anymore, are you?" He smirked, then, he raised his chin and continued coldly: "Because I am going to ask you for nothing, ever again."

He quickly shimmied out of under her. She was still a bit dazed, and he did not wait for her to comprehend what he said. Rejecting her was his decision and he did not need her opinion. She had said enough – she did not want him enough to worth the risk. He had a responsibility to his family, to his kingdom and to his people, and while staying away from her would be maddening, he had to quit.

He couldn't afford a fling with a Lady – especially when he was the more involved party.


	11. Chapter 11

11

The door opened silently and Fíli tiptoed into the treasure room, looking for Thorin.

Those who knew about Thorin's condition, all advised him against visiting his uncle. _'He's unstable',_ they said. Or: _'He doesn't even notice if you don't go. He completely ignores Kíli's absence.'_ Sometimes they tried to reason with him on the matter, mentioning that _'No one knows how his mind works now. He can see you as a threat, attack you and you are far too valuable to be lost.'_ They also said that _'Thorin is so obsessed, we have no idea what makes it worse. Why would your presence here help when nothing else does?'_ And anyway, _'You are needed elsewhere, Fíli.'_

Fíli was always needed elsewhere.

He had so many reasons not to come. Thorin was never pleased to see him. Fíli did not know so much about him as Dwalin or Dís. Thorin cared less and less about living things. Yet…

Yet, Fíli felt responsible for him. He knew that he was too young and too inexperienced, he had no considerable skill to help Thorin. He was always angry and devastated when he left, and sometimes he hated Thorin for the things he had said or done.

Yet, Thorin was his uncle, and more.

He was the one who sat by his bed when he had had nightmares or had been sick; the one who had shown him how to fight and explained why fight at all; the one who had found his talents and helped him develop his skills. Thorin was more than his King or his Uncle; he was the Father he had barely known, the Mentor who affected his morals and the Idol he respected with awe and worshipped since his birth without a moment of wavering.

He could not watch him suffer and not try to be by his side.

At his first look, Thorin was nowhere in sight. Sometimes he was hard to find because of the mountains of gold: Thorin loved the gold, to touch it and adore it, bathing in it and simply lying on the surface, climbing to the top and eventually bury himself in it, the weight of the treasure almost crushing his body. Some would say these things were at least uncomfortable, even life-threatening. Thorin felt these activities quite natural. A soft clinking gave him away this time, and Fíli hurried toward the back of the room.

Thorin was kneeling before a pile of gold, both his hands full with coins. He was staring at the shiny pieces with wonder in his eyes, totally ignorant of the presence of another. Fíli felt a lump forming in his throat, so he coughed softly, also to warn Thorin of his arrival. He saw him tensing, and he spoke up before his uncle could lash out toward him.

"How are you today, Uncle?"

Thorin stood up and turned to him, slowly recognizing his nephew. His hard features softened, but his eyes still sparkled feverishly.

"Fíli! How good it is to see you," he slurred. Fíli felt the lump in his throat forming again.

"It is good to see you too, Uncle."

Thorin smiled in the crooked way he seemed to be capable of lately.

"I was told you would come today," he said approvingly. "It is a very fine day indeed. I am glad for your company."

"It is good to hear," Fíli nodded. "Who told you about my plans? I didn't tell anyone."

"You did not need to. Our treasure knew your intention. Here, have a touch. The gold has spoken to me, and wishes to speak to you, too." He stretched out his palm, offering a handful of coin to him. Fíli took it, and the lump in his throat grew bigger.

Usually, Thorin was fiercely protective of his treasure, and no one argued. They advised Fíli not to touch anything if he couldn't keep himself away, in safety.

Sometimes though, Thorin was in a sharing mood, but only with him. Fíli did not understand why or by what pattern this happened, and Thorin never behaved this way to anyone except for him. He was always watching carefully, ever the stern guard, but sometimes…

During these occasions, Fíli always had tons of memories filling his mind. He and Thorin always had a special bond since Thorin named him as his heir. They had much in common; the importance of their role and ruling over people, taking responsibility for things they could not help, helping where they had not the skill, looking at the bigger picture and not dwelling on common facts and turns of life; things they could share with no one else.

Thorin had to feel this bond, Fíli had always believed. Now, when his mind was clouded, he still seemed to be aware of it. Fíli had always relied more on the experienced dwarf; now he felt _Thorin_ needed _him_ more. An offer of a handful of coins sounded as a cry for acceptance and understanding, and while Fíli did not understand, nor was in a position to accept the sickness, he took the gold and weighed it in his hand.

"Do you hear it?" Thorin asked eagerly, and Fíli couldn't decide that the slight undertone of desperately seeking approval was the making of his imagination or real.

He looked at the gold in his hand and felt nothing. He shook it carefully, the clinking sound unbearable to his ears, then closed his eyes. The urge to please his uncle made him listen harder and harder; he always wanted to make him proud, and if it meant to hear words from coins, he would try. He knew how very foolish it sounded, so he opened his eyes and looked at Thorin.

Thorin was smiling softly, looking almost happy, and it broke his heart. He could not tell him how sick he was. He put the coins into his other hand, just to do something.

"Do you not hear it?" Thorin asked, his expression becoming confused, as if he was sure about the gold whispering to Fíli, too.

"Sssh, Uncle. It's very quiet and I don't spend so much time here as you do."

Thorin's face lit up. He dropped the remaining coins, and reached for Fíli. Fíli had to force himself not flinching away by reflex, but Thorin only pulled him to a large pile, kneeling again. He was caressing the surface like a lover's body.

Fíli couldn't help flinching this time. He did not have a lover anymore, he should not ever think of her again. Thorin noticed his hesitation.

"Don't be afraid. This is your birthright and you should learn to take care of it. The treasure is grateful to be reclaimed from the dragon, and if you cherish her… come, you should feel that contentment. There are no secrets, no forced obedience, only clarity and a calmness we have never known before."

Fíli shuddered by the tumble when he called it 'her'. Still, he caressed the shiny treasure, appreciating the beauty, and suddenly, he felt at home. This was his birthright, the work of his ancestors, the example to follow.

Time slowed down or hurried away, he couldn't say, but in this moment, he could sympathize with his uncle. The treasure stayed. Everything else changed, people had left and cheated and deceived and… they always let you down in a way, while the treasure you cherished stayed and cherished you and never hurt you, because it was always, always people who hurt you in different creative ways.

Suddenly, he sobered up and panic filled him. Were these thoughts the first sign of the sickness? They couldn't be. He looked at Thorin, and his pleased expression scared him even more. He looked at his hands: they were shaking.

"Did you hear?" Thorin's excited whisper sounded like a dwarfling sharing some newfound information to his confidant.

Fíli nodded.

Then, Thorin hugged him. His arms were too tight around his chest; he did not even touch people for a long time, let alone hug someone. He was much thinner than before, but his weight was crushing Fíli, as if the weight of the burdens in his mind were added to the weight of his body. Fíli could barely breath, and the lump in his throat started growing again. Thorin was murmuring unformed words into his hair, like he did so many times during his childhood… Fíli felt an ache to sob like a child, but he knew that this time, contrary to any kinds of appearances, he was less in need of comforting than the other dwarf.

Fíli always thought that through their bond, he could sometimes help him a little.

But the times when their bond proved to be stronger than the sickness were the hardest; he felt emotionally drained and physically hurt by it, and no matter how strong their bond was, it was never enough.

Now, he panicked.

He never considered the option that the strength of their bond will pull him down with Thorin, to the depths of the mind he always feared.

.

When he stepped out of the treasure room, the usual wave of frustration attacked him stronger. He started back toward their living quarters, but after turning a few corner, his breathing was ragged and he had to halt to pull himself together.

It was not frustration anymore. It was paralyzing fear, fear of falling; fear, he had felt only ever once. Then, it took years to fully overcome it, with much care by Mother, Kíli, Thorin and the Company. He hated to be afraid.

He concentrated on his breathing. Inhale, exhale, slowly, counting. He counted continuously, until the suffocating pain in his lungs disappeared.

What was he afraid of now? He tried to formulate the words in his mind, and after long struggle, he could utter the words:

"I cannot fall to gold sickness." It was not good enough; not encouraging, not at all. What helped him through his battles the last time, then? "I have a family, they care about me." Except it was untrue, this time. He felt panic rise in him. _No, no, no. No! Don't panic, dare not panic. You did it once. You will do it again. Day after day, if you must. You have to do many day after today before there is rest. No rest for the wicked. I am not Thorin. But I am not wicked, WHAT?_

A smile fought its way to his lips. When his mind could wander away from the strict road appointed by his fears, he knew he was alright again. _Sort of._

He thought about it again, and said the words.

"I have no family this time." He sighed. "I am alone. Yet, I will not be obsessed again with paranoid images created by my mind." Obsession, he hated. He remembered the days when he maniacally stayed in the Mountain, staying away from Ravenhill and the outside world, thus also depriving himself from being strategically adept. Later, he was obsessed with not being obsessed. Lately, he wondered if he was obsessed with Alys, too; another reason to break up with her. What they had… it was unhealthy, beautiful… He wished that she cared for him enough to convince him to stay. She was a breath of fresh air, sunshine, the freedom, everything he once feared and now craved.

Why did he push her away?

He saw her a few times since the break up. She was practically glowing, and didn't look sad at all. He once saw her on the arms of another dwarf, a guard, and they stood too close to his liking. _So she moved on,_ he thought. It didn't take long. She was angry at him, though, her glances told as much. She never looked at him more than once at a time, and only to radiate some anger to him, showing that she knew of his presence, then feigned ignorance.

He hated her for the new guy, but he couldn't help wondering about her anger. Was she hurt or was she simply hateful for screwing up? He was hurt, for sure. Angry, too. But also wishful; to feel her again, and again, jealous of the new guy. Was he fucking her? He hoped not, but he wasn't sure. It would not be a smart thing to reveal her _true_ self to a second guy so soon.

Why was he still thinking of her, by the way? Fíli pushed himself up and continued his route back. At least while he was thinking of her, gold had no way to worm itself into his mind.

.

He was useless during the day's meeting, so he cut it short. Balin tried to protest, but since Glóin made his support clear, he felt more confident. People seemed to listen to him, even the strictest of his councilors. It felt good.

He decided to go out, to clear his mind a bit. He started toward the place he showed to Alys; it was outside, secluded, and no one knew except for her, who probably would not go there. This would be a perfect occasion to close their affair in his mind, too. He sat down on the shelf and smiled bitterly at the memories. He lit his pipe, and enjoyed the quiet, the smoking creating a calm, pure perfection to forget about his troubled soul. He caught himself smiling for nothing, but it meant that he was on a good track back to normalcy.

He sat there until after sunset.

To his surprise, he heard movement near the entrance; he went to check it. He had a sneaking suspicion who could be there, and he hoped to be wrong. The last person he needed right now was Alys; why would she come here at all? _Maybe she brings her new loverboy._ Rage washed over him at the thought. He decided the battle in him fast: he would sit back and simply _not care._

After all, it was his place first, let her do the explaining.

He heard her gasp when she noticed him, but he kept ignoring her. She fumbled a bit to climb back inside, and he started to relax, when she sighed deeply and turned back.

"I had no idea I would find you here," she said, her voice slightly trembling. Probably she was nervous, Fíli supposed, and he did not reply.

"Fine. Ignore me. But I am staying. I need some… solitude. I guess we would not disturb each other," she announced, and Fíli growled in annoyance. He shuffled farther from her, but she did not react. _Does she care so little?_ Then, she pulled out a pipe – her own piece, it seemed. This perplexed him. Smoking was uncommon among unmarried dwarrowdams, and she did not smoke while they were together. Surely he would have known…

"Stop staring," she said a bit aggressively, while fumbling with filling it.

"Sorry," he mumbled, but he couldn't stop curiously glancing at her. She finally managed to prepare her pipe and lit it, slowly inhaling the smoke.

"I did not know you smoked," he tried to start conversation. Her peaceful expression tensed, and he almost regretted his rash comment for the way she looked at him.

"I didn't. And you don't need to know. Did you not say you will ask nothing of me?"

The quote cut too deep.

 _I am sorry,_ he thought, but did not say. What was the point? Even if she cared, their affair was an unnecessary complication.

"I am coming here every night to smoke," she announced. "It is not an invitation, but I know that you have a tight schedule, and it is possible that the only time you are free to come you will find me here. Just… so you know that now. I don't mind to find you here. You are free to do as you wish. It is not my place, anyway, it's ours, and we shall learn to share. Shall we not? I will not ask anything. Like you. I mean, you said, you will not, and neither will I, and I will just smoke, like I'm doing now."

She shut up, but he found her rambling speech quite endearing. He smiled for himself, but he had no idea how to reply, so he just sat in silence, and she too.


	12. Chapter 12

12

Her world turned upside down for the third time this year. _I should start getting used to it,_ she thought bitterly. She felt that Fíli broke up with her in a very rude way. She did not feel too devastated, though. Actually, she had no more idea how she should feel about this breaking up thing than about their whole affair. Fine. Fíli did not want her anymore; she should not care.

She had no idea about how breakups worked. She had known lasses back in the Hills with minor heartbreaks and they had always cried, but she could not shed one tear for Fíli. They had not had emotional closeness, except for some strange moments after their mutual climax, but first and foremost their relationship was physical.

It was the physical part she missed. She did not have an aching heart; at least, she did not feel it beside the hurting void low in her stomach, for which she had no cure.

After a few days, she realized that Fíli was not coming back. Her body still craved contact, so she accepted Dona's offer of her brother. Donos was polite enough, had some sense of humor, was making hints about kissing her. His look was averagely pleasing, his personality moderately interesting. He was exactly what she needed, she only had to play her part right.

She did. Donos proved to be so unassuming that he believed it was her first kiss. It wasn't, and he did not know either that she got far more pleasure from this kiss than him or than she showed. It was chaste and others had seen, but she had planned and she felt satisfied. Not _completely_ satisfied, like Fíli made her to be, but her expectations were correct.

Although Donos fit for the purposes for now, she knew she had to find a more permanent solution soon.

It had been a bit over two weeks spent in a cloud of her unfulfilled desires when help arrived from an unexpected source. She and Lady Hena were walking home from the market, since she was making arrangements for her sister's arrival and Alys offered help. They were walking and talking, until Lady Hena stopped and asked her:

"Are you alright, Alys?"

She startled as if she was shaken awake from a dream.

"You looked pale, and now you are flushed, are you feeling well?" The concern in her voice was clear, and her face showed sincerity. Alys actually felt unwell. She noticed that she could sense when Fíli was nearby, and he was so near now; she wanted to find him and offer herself, maybe… But she so hated him! He rejected her in a very peculiar situation, and he did not deserve her attraction. He was nothing to her as she was to him, and… Lady Hena touched her elbow.

"Would you rather go home?"

Alys remembered where she was presently. They were on their way to Lady Hena's, to decorate the chambers for her sister. She shook her head and started to walk away in a brisk pace. Lady Hena kept up with her, and concluded:

"Or we can go to my place and sit down a bit."

They did so. Lady Hena offered her a cup of hot chocolate. She must have understood something was still off about her, because Alys was sure that her drink was spiked. Maybe it was exactly the push she needed to relax and ask for advice.

"Is marriage good?" she asked Lady Hena. They were talking about usual, polite things, when the question formed in her mind and she simply blurted out before she had time to have second thoughts.

Lady Hena startled a bit, but answered her. Alys liked this about her; Lady Hena was just kind, and she would never prod her forcefully, hungry for gossip. Maybe she can answer some questions without suspicion or disdain; answers for she should go to her mother, but could not.

"It is very good," she said. The short reply encouraged Alys to interrogate further.

"Do you mean that your marriage is good, or marriage, generally?"

"For me, both are true. Which one did you want to know about?"

Alys shrugged. She felt slightly embarrassed; not for the topic but for her lack of embarrassment.

"I don't really know… I don't know much about marriage, but I don't want to pry."

Lady Hena smiled. "I never thought so. It is natural that you are interested. Most young ladies are, I was as well, and my sister is, too."

"Oh." This, Alys did not know. Her acquaintances never talked about these things. Maybe, they did, but not with her, Alys being so young…

"She is asking me all the questions she doesn't dare to ask Mother. She is lucky to have an older sister, I had to find my own… resources," she chuckled. "Like you are doing, as I see."

Alys flinched; she hoped that Lady Hena would not find out about her true intentions. She wanted her to think her interest was merely theoretical – but maybe her mind was not so dirty if Lady Hena and her sister had the same questions once. She only have to avoid the… actual… accurate details… and acts… and her way too thorough knowledge about a male body… and she was back to being only theoretically interested.

"Marriage is a good thing." Lady Hane said firmly, and Alys believed her. "The way toward is a completely different matter, though. It is confusing. We want things we don't yet understand, and lads want things we have no chance to understand. In the end, I am lucky that my parents practically arranged this marriage for me."

"Really?"

"I had suitors, and I had no idea what to do with them. When my parents introduced me to Tord, I was so relieved that they made the talking at first, and it seemed I had nothing to do with him except for marrying him. It was safe, he was safe... Marriage is safety."

"It sounds nice," Alys said, wondering about her being married... She could not associate Fíli with safety.

"Yes. But I know much more than I did at that time." Lady Hena's face turned thoughtful. "What do you know about our Ones?"

Alys shook her head. She knew the basics, that dwarves had only One true partner, but recently, this notion had started to disappear. Since the dragon came, finding a partner became more about finding someone, anyone, to share the burdens and try to create dwarflings. In these desperate times, no one cared for a soulmate; everyone worked hard and real contentment was a faraway dream, when they had nothing to feed their children and no roof over their head. Having someone to share with was the most they had got. Although Erebor was reclaimed, the new generation grew up in different customs than their ancestors, and having a 'One' meant less these days.

She had no idea about her parents. They were members of the Ancient Families, on Father's side. Her mother was of Erebor, then she lived near Father's family, this was how they had met. She did not know what feelings were involved, if at all. They were happy though, respecting and supporting each other, but Alys had never seen them being _really_ close.

"Finding your One is a difficult process," Lady Hena explained. "You don't know at first, but you can feel that you have met. It is confusing. You see everything in a different light. Tord is my One, so I am lucky, but when I met him... as I said, I did not spend much time with him, but I felt the change within me. I saw my other suitors differently. They were almost scary before, then I wanted to get closer to them. To... to try them, I think. It is like... Like you know that he is close, and you have to find him."

Lady Hena's explanation was a bit vague, but Alys had a suspicion sneaking up in her.

"How do you mean to try them?"

Lady Hena blushed. "I think that you... that you..."

Then suddenly, it dropped. "You think I found my... One."

"Yes."

Was that Fíli? She did not dare to presume.

"I have seen you with that lad," Lady Hena continued. "You may think that you like him, but give yourself some time. Finding your One is difficult, especially in your situation. You can feel him, but you don't exactly feel who he is. You have just moved to Erebor, and you have met many dwarves, and if these feelings in you are new, it can be any of them." Alys' horrified look made her chuckle.

It was indeed big trouble for the young lady. Her first suspect was Fíli, of course, but if Lady Hena was right, she might have ruined herself for nothing. If it was Fíli, however, it meant nothing either, since he had cut ties with her, and probably, his stance on the matter would not change, he was quite clear on that.

"And is it mutual?"

"For me, it was. Tord confessed that I am his One. I don't know about others though, I have met very few who experienced the bond and knew it."

Oh, she was in trouble. Even in the best case scenario, she could end up with nothing, really.

"May I be direct?" Lady Hena asked, and Alys nodded. "Are you feeling... Are you wanting for physical closeness with him?"

That, she did. She nodded; if Lady Hena suspected, there was no reason to deny.

"It was the same for me. I wanted to be close to any lad a little while after I met Tord. Inappropriately close," she blushed. "You have to be careful, these desires are difficult to control."

"Yes, they are," Alys sighed.

Then, Lady Hena gave her a pipe, and explained how some pipeweeds lessened these cravings.

.

The first time she smoked, it was with Lady Hena. They talked about keeping it their secret, since publicly, it would shed some shadow on Alys' personality. They figured that if she could find a secret place, then she were free to smoke any time she wanted, being cautious, of course. That, Alys was quite familiar with, thanks to Fíli, again. She blamed the whole mess on him.

Thus, the first time he appeared at the very place she felt safe enough to smoke, Alys was furious. She would not let him take it away from her though, so she offered to share, hinting at him staying away while she was there.

Maybe she wasn't clear enough.

He appeared again two days later, and soon, every evening. More, he started to talk to her. Like, drawing her attention to objects of beauty in the view at their feet. Or, recalling the day's discovery of a new underground lake, where he suggested building a public bath. Or simply telling her about jokes that his mates told at the table during lunch.

Like she cared.

He did not seem to notice her indifference, not even her downright frustration, which no weed had chance to calm.

He did not suggest anything more either. Half of her regretted it, but the other half, the insulted one, did not care.

Most of the time, they were only sitting there silently, smoking away the day's trouble. Sometimes she contemplated going out in a different time slot, but his company did not annoy her so much to reorganize her days and defences.

During the night, when she was alone and darkness swallowed secrets, she had to admit herself, that his presence calmed her greatly. Maybe their previous activites ceased, but they still had something going on between them - it simply changed, and he did not hate her.

.

"I apologize for my reaction to the gossips," Fíli confessed one evening. "It was I who behaved so noticeably different than usually."

Alys waited a bit to see what he wanted. "And?"

"Nothing. It's just... When are you coming next? To dinner, I mean."

"You see me every day," she shrugged. Fíli shuffled.

"Yes. But I don't want to see the others."

"They are not so bad," Alys said. She was happy that Fíli liked only her company, but she did not want him to say bad about the ladies she spent her days with. Not all of them were pleasant, but she felt she could afford to be generous.

"Which do you mean? Silja, the talented spy and interrogator, Maura, who eats us out of our stocks, or Dona, who is sulking and yawning during all the time, or Vainna, who does not dare to move not to accidentally ruin her fashionable look, or Nan, whose beard is so long and bushy that Dwalin can hide in shame. Why can't everyone just have an attractive beard like you?"

The compliment came so unexpectedly that Alys had to cough.

"Are you alright?" Fíli grew concerned. Alys nodded and smiled.

"They are not so bad. Dona is my friend. I... I am... her brother... I mean..." She was searching for words; she wanted to tell him about Donos. She wanted to know his reaction.

"Well?"

"Nothing." There was no way to say it. What if he gets angry? Or worse, if he doesn't care?

"It's her brother that you are now..." He got it, but he couldn't say either.

"Yes."

"Fine," Fíli shrugged. "Let's not talk about it."

They sat silently for a while. Alys wanted to ask him about Miri; Miri told her how her dinner with the Royals went, and based on her account, it went quite well. She thought she had impressed the Crown Prince, and at that time, Alys thought Fíli deserved her, but now, she wanted him to deny Miri's success.

Fíli had questions, too, and he proved to be braver, since he asked first.

"What are you doing with him?"

"It's none of your business!" Alys felt his tone offensive.

"Is he… Are you two like we were…?"

Alys had to laugh. "It's none of your business anymore, you said that."

"I did." How he stayed calm, Alys had no idea, since her heart was beating so fast that she feared it would break her chest.

"Are you sorry?" she asked, since he did not continue. Fíli inhaled some smoke and slowly exhaled before answering.

"It is in the past. I thought it to be the best. I'm sorry for the way I went about that. I was rude."

"That was nothing new," Alys commented bitterly.

"I know. And I am sorry for that, too. I wasn't always a douchebag."

Alys chuckled, and Fíli protested: "It's true! I can prove it!"

"Then prove it, please. I would be glad to see."

"Am I not proving it now?" He sounded uncertain for the first time. Alys shrugged. He was indeed more pleasant than previously, but their relationship was still outside the boundaries of socially acceptable.

"Do you like spending time with me?" she asked him.

"Yes, I do, but it doesn't really matter."

It stung. "See? This is why I am with Donos. He is simple and he does not see me as a complication in his life."

"I have a realm to rule. I cannot be simple."

"It is not your realm yet," Alys explained, but noticed the slight twitch of his lips. "And you can be simple with me. I wouldn't be cross with you for it."

Fíli had much to say; his expression showed clearly his inner debate. Alys always presumed that he faced much bigger troubles than her, so maybe it was true: he couldn't be simple for a moment. She had felt it before; the need to ease his burdens, and to make him smile. And, she wanted his attention, she had to admit. She touched his shoulder and inched closer to him. He leaned into her half-hearted start of an embrace.

"I miss you." Alys' heart beat even faster than before, but he did not try for more. Instead, he continued. "And you're wrong. It is already my realm, so I cannot be simple, never again, not even with you."

The confession confused Alys, but Fíli did not look like he wanted to elaborate. She sighed; his mood swings clearly did not change, and he still wasn't sharing anything. She hoped so much that Fíli proved not to be her One.

Then he kissed her, and her world turned right again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello readers, are you still here? Did you like the new chapter? Please, leave a few words if you've been here, read this, since the view count on my account is not working (ffnet issue, as far as I know), so I don't know if you are still here. Except if you leave a few words. Thanks!

Aranel Mereneth: Yes, their family is not just a bit disfunctional right now. And more is coming.

'Guest': Thanks, I'm glad you like the story! If they would just work out their issues easily, then what the story would be about? :)


	13. Chapter 13

13

They didn't have much time to rekindle their romance. The day after they truly made peace with the fact that they indeed liked to spend time together – in any way – Fíli was still asleep close to noon; until someone rudely tore him out of the bliss of a dream he was seeing.

He groaned loudly, giving the intruder a warning to escape. He left a note not to be disturbed, except, of course, in grave danger, for which the chances were low.

"Wake up, Fíli!" He recognized Dwalin's voice. His mind started to clear. Maybe something happened with Thorin; Dwalin was on duty this morning. He opened one eye; Thorin couldn't be more of a problem now than ever. "You need to come with me. There's trouble."

Of course there was trouble. There was always trouble. He shut his eyes tightly, and tried to hide under his blankets, but Dwalin was relentless and Fíli grudgingly followed him wherever they had to go.

"Alys, how good it is to see you again!"

Alys recklessly opened the door herself. Miri has never before appeared at her home, but considering that they had not talked for two days, she should have made some precautions. She forced a smile on her face and invited her in. She led her into their sitting room, avoiding her mother and brothers. Miri looked around approvingly.

"It's a lovely room, but is there any place more… private?" The last word she only whispered, excitement mirroring in her eyes. "I bring news which should not be heard by anyone. I can trust you to keep a secret, can't I?"

Alys nodded, but she made an internal scream. Why did everyone want her to keep secrets? She led Miri to her room though, already curious about the gossip. What could be shared only with her? And more impotnatly, since when had they been so close to share such things?

She prepared two cups of hot chocolate; Miri was watching her actions with interest.

"Do you not have a maid for these things?" she inquired.

"We have maids and servants, but Father says we should use their time and efforts as necessary. They are not paid for our useless requests, they are paid to help, and deserve the respect for their work. So I had to learn to take care of myself. Making a cup of chocolate is not something I should disturb the maids who are helping with the boys right now," Alys shrugged. Her father was a strict and clever dwarf, who deserved respect, and raised her well. He was not very affectionate, but he and Alys had a silent understanding of each other. Father always encouraged her to be independent in some ways, and she liked it.

Miri shrugged, too. Alys had seen their household, and knew that she had servants for her every whim. Because of this, Miri was so terribly lost if she had to say or do anything by herself. Miri saw it as a display of wealth, and from a point of view, it was. To her credit, she never complained as a guest, but many saw her honestly curious interest as disparagement. As for Alys, she tried to handle her with the same patience as her brothers when she had to deal with her.

They sat down in her room, Miri having a look around, but thankfully, did not comment.

"The Prince is in trouble," she said on a conspiring tone. Alys choked on her chocolate. "He was discovered to attempt inappropriate actions to a dwarrowdam in Silja's household. She wanted to keep it quiet, but knowing her, I think she encouraged the lass, to try and entrap the Prince for her. I think they will try to make a hushed agreement, but it is not beneath her to involve the public if she does not get her way."

Alys was half-heartedly listening to her. Inappropriate actions. Entrapping. Discovered. Miri was still talking, but never mentioned, which Prince.

"Which Prince?" Alys rudely interrupted her in the middle of a word, but she had to know.

"Why, Kíli, of course." Miri marveled how it wasn't obvious. "Prince Fíli would never be so irresponsible!"

"To start an affair or to get caught?" Now, relieved by the information, Alys felt cheerful enough to allow some impertinence. Miri smiled conspiratorially.

"I think he is too serious to do such thing. But maybe he is just pretending to avoid getting caught. He is smart like that," Miri beamed at her insightful analysis. "But I think that he is really too serious to do such things. Kíli is the adventurous one, but see? He is after servant girls and their occasional attention."

"Well, he is smart like that," Alys quoted Miri. "What if he starts an affair with the Lady of the House?"

Miri looked appalled. "He wouldn't!"

"Because he would have to marry her," Alys explained, with some self-deprecation. "If she discloses their actions, he will have no choice. With a servant, though…"

Well, this question always bothered her. Were she and Fíli exclusive? She had a hunch that yes, but she couldn't be sure, and for a moment, she truly believed that Fíli was the one Miri talked about.

Miri was still processing the possibilities of the Princes and their love affairs, while Alys wondered about the same topic in a different light. Both brothers being womenizers, she could not stop thinking of the morals in their family. Royals were a weird kind. Would they keep up these activities after taking a wife? Alys prayed tirelessly for her One to be anyone but Fíli. He was fun to be with during certain activities, but the dwarf behind his looks was not exactly flawless.

Kíli's affair would surely kick up dust though, and they may have to give up their secret meetings. She thought she would go out tonight, to see if he comes; if he doesn't, then she would know not to seek him for a while. He would come if it's safe, his kiss revealed that much.

"Then what will happen?" Miri asked. Alys had no idea. "I'm sure Silja has plans," she added.

"I don't know her well," Alys confessed.

"Good for you," Miri snorted in a very unladylike manner. "She's our neighbor, and I know her from Ered Luin, where we grew up. She was always spying on the Princes, although they were so poor then, and Father did not trust their family. She is still spying, and tries to gain advantage over us, to marry either of them, and hinder us in our pursuit. She hates you," Miri mentioned casually, "so be careful around her. She will use everything you do or say against you. Oh, I so hate her!" she exclaimed.

"Why does she hate me?"

"For entertaining Fíli, of course," Miri stated the obvious. "She never forgets. I hated you at first, because I know him longer, and he has never shown any interest, but you are nice. I thought you are like Silja."

"I am not," Alys protested vehemently.

"I know that now," Miri chuckled. "You are the nicest Lady I have ever met."

"Thanks," muttered Alys blushing bright red.

"I think that's why Fíli liked you. You are simply cute, not only trying to be cute, or something different. And still, you helped me drawing his attention on me. He actually talked to me politely, but he looked frustrated that I answered him. Actually, he looked frustrated all evening, but still, he was friendlier. Does that make any sense?" Miri shook her head. Alys hated the topic of her pursuit of Fíli, but did not dare to tell her, especially in the light of the events. "Today, he was definititely anything but friendly."

"Today?"

"Afternoon, precisely, but I saw him arrive at Silja's. He was furious. I think he was sent to deal with the situation. He looked like he just got out of bed, which means no good for the lovebirds, since Fíli is suffering from sleep problems, as per Silja. Don't ask me how she knows that. But I hope that he puts Silja in her place, she is insufferable."

"Oh. Poor F… Prince Fíli." Alys flinched at the slip of her tongue, which, judged by her smirk, Miri noticed too.

"Oh, no need to be so proper with the titles between you and me," she winked.

"It's not like that…"

"Do you like him?" Mahal, bless Miri to be straight to the point! Alys could say nothing, except for blushing at the direct question. "There is no shame in it, we are all supposed to be after one of them, Fíli, preferably. I take it as he is your favorite. I can understand you. He is very attractive, and it is enough until you only want to watch, but Kíli is friendlier and funnier."

"Then which is your favorite?" Alys countered.

"Neither, really. As I said, I couldn't get close to them back then, and now, I don't like the change they went through. They were both nicer, Fíli was gentle and caring, and Kíli wasn't so brash."

"So?"

"I take Kíli, I guess, because he is funnier, but Father prefers Fíli and his future kingship. For me, it's a draw." Miri sighed and turned serious. "Are you thinking of pursuing him?"

"No!" Alys stated confidently. The chance of accepting an offer from Fíli went closer and closer to zero. "I told the truth when I said I was too young to marry. Ask me in ten years, but I guess he will be off the market."

On that, they agreed, and they spent the afternoon with guessing at other ladies' choice of the Princes.

"Would you maybe grant me a place where I can talk to my brother privately, or should we leave, for I can hear him out as well?" Fíli was pinching the bridge of his nose to keep his temper in control. He was ready to explode. This family was THE plague. He arrived hours ago, and found the household in uproar, and since then, the situation was getting exponentially worse.

When Dwalin dragged him out of his bed, he told him the short version. Kíli was caught in an evident situation with a lass in the home of an Ancient Family. They were found by the Head of the House and his daughter. They want to solve the issue as fast and quietly as possible.

Fíli thought they would pay them a reasonable sum, and all would be well; this wasn't the first time it happened.

It had been hours ago. He had not yet had any opportunity to speak to his brother about his version of the events. The Head of the House, Kinja, firmly stated his opinion: Kíli had taken advantage of the girl, and thus, should be punished, especially since he had been seen by his precious daughter, Lady Silja, the most innocent and soft-hearted creature ever walked in this world. They were complaining, and complaining, and still complaining, slightly louder, only so every last servant in the household could hear and start to spread the outrage.

The not-so-lordly Lord Kinja ignored his every request and attempt to make justice. He was good, Fíli had to admit, but he was trained well to handle this kind of situations. He was tired and uncomfortable and furious, but he would not bend his will under any pressure. The harder the opposition was, the more forceful his strike became.

"What more can he say? He does not know what we have seen, he can only add to his record! My poor daughter will be forever wounded in her heart by what she had to witness! How barbaric, how animalistic, we are civilized people, we…"

Fíli stood from the chair he was provided; his back was aching and he had quite enough. He struggled to keep his countenance calm, but he did it.

"Desist." His low voice carried through the halls, and had an immediate effect. He practiced how to stand up against unruly groups, and everyone reacted as expected. They were easily impressed, not like stubborn old dwarves in the council, hardened by decades of power struggle.

"If one word gets out about the affair without my permission, I will track down the source and personally banish them out of Erebor. Maybe worse, if I have a bad day. Am I clear?" Murmured agreement sounded from every corner. "Now, everyone not personally involved out." The servants started to shuffle away, some frightened, some reluctant. In the end, only Lord Kinja, Lady Silja, and the lovebirds remained. Lord Kinja was puffing up to another speech, but Fíli would not have it.

"Sit." He motioned that they should find a seat around the uncomfortably high table, on stiff chairs like the one he was tortured by. He waited until all four of them complied; the less he talked the heavier his words rang. "I will accept no more than one word as answer. Lord Kinja, do you trust me to handle this case justly?"

"I have to say I have my concerns," Lord Kinja started to explain, and Kíli snorted to stifle a laugh.

"I? I do not understand what you mean by it, so I take it as yes," Fíli decided. "Lady Silja, are you sure about what you have seen?"

"Yes, they were engaged in…"

"Lady An, were you entering into a sexual affair with Prince Kíli?"

The dwarrowdam hesitated and glanced at her Lady, then nodded.

"Prince Kíli, were you entering into a sexual affair with Lady An?"

"Yes," he smirked. At least, he knew the rule; they learned this interrogation tactic from Thorin who used it to smooth their childish quarrels.

"Lord Kinja, are you completely sure about seeing them entering into a sexual affair with each other?" He also tried to say 'sexual affair' as much as he could, just for fun. Lord Kinja was already fidgeting, maybe his sexual affairs was worth to be detected by Nori.

"Yes, I am sure…"

"Lady Silja," Fíli interrupted. "Have you ever witnessed anyone entering into a sexual affair before?"

Loud objections were heard by both Kinja and Silja. Fíli focused on the latter.

"One word, or nothing," he reminded her.

"No," she stared at him defiantly. "I am innocent."

"Lady An, did you agree to entering into a sexual…"

"Don't say that word again for the sake of my daughter's virtue!" Kinja blurted out. Fíli smirked.

"Lord Kinja, you agreed to let me handle the case. Please stay silent or leave the room, not forgetting about the request I made about complete discretion." He did not dare to remark that Silja's virtue wasn't ruined by words, or by what she had seen, according to his suspicion.

Kinja stayed to Fíli's grief.

He started again the question, and Lady An confirmed that she was willing, then Kíli, too.

"The interrogation ended. I will take everything into consideration, and let you know about my decision."

"Prince Fíli, I have a suggestion," Lord Kinja plucked up all his courage to address him. Fíli nodded; finally, he got to hear why he had to endure this nonsense. "They should marry, according to tradition, virtue and honor. However, considering that An is only a servant, I understand your reluctance. I would offer the hand of my daughter, with the condition of taking An in their household after they marry."

Kíli snorted; this time, for annoyance. Fíli only raised an eyebrow to the blatant request.

"I will consider that option, thank you. Now, will someone be so kind to show me to the exit?"

Fíli left Kíli without a word. Kíli tried to inquire about his decision several times before he gave up – because Fíli threatened him.

"One more word and you will marry Silja."

Actually, this worked. Kíli only shook his head in disbelief, but he knew too well how merciless a pissed off Fíli could be, so he dared not utter another sound.

Fíli briefly summarized the situation to the Personal Royal Council, also announced his decision, causing uproar.

He needed an escape, and he knew the only perfect way to get rid of the tension in his body. He waited until dinnertime, when all avoidable party would sit together, and he could claim fatigue, hoping that Alys was waiting for him. He wasn't sure how she would react to his approach, and he knew that after the day's trouble it was all sorts of bad to even think of it…

He deserved her.

He took care of everyone's problem, now he let someone take care of his.

"I wasn't sure if you would come today," Alys greeted Fíli, when he finally appeared. He looked exhausted and angry, and she wondered if he always looked like that. Maybe he did, only she was too preoccupied to notice, and now she knew to pay attention.

He buried her in his arms, and kissed the top of her head. He was breathing heavily, like he was having an inner struggle. She reached for his hand and pulled him to sit down beside her. She was drawing patterns on his palm, while he was staring into the distance.

Finally, he kissed her, still not saying a word, but his passionate motions were all she needed. He was asking for her permission to take what he promised to never take again, so she invited him to do exactly what she too desired. He was quick to free both of them from their clothes, and she cried out from the pleasure of his skin touching her skin. He was in a hurry to enter her, and while she felt she was too tight yet, she missed the feeling too much to care about comfort. His fingers touched her wetting folds, becoming uncertain after feeling around. He looked her in the eyes, and she snapped out of her reverie. She kissed him shortly, to avert his attention from her other actions: she pushed him to lay down on his back, while she straddled him and carefully grabbed his cock. Fíli tried to push him up on his elbows, but she put her flat palm on his chest to still him. He tilted his head in curiosity, while she directed his cock to the right place. Fíli wanted to help her again, but she shook her head and started to take him in. She must have flinched because of the unpleasant stretching, because his hands grabbed her hip to stop her, but she was determined. One of her hand pushed him back into his lying position and the other enforced his hands to help her take his full lengths in.

It was sort of uncomfortable, but the most satisfying sensation in the whole world.

He helped her find the rhythm, then both of them simply enjoyed the building pleasure and the abrupt climax which came unexpectedly soon… They both wanted more, and yet, they had enough. He pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly, while she nestled into him in the way to have the most possible skin touching.

"I cannot get close enough," she complained, and he grinned.

"I know the feeling."

Their kisses and caresses continued until Fíli started to wake from their bliss.

"I shouldn't have come, but you are the best thing to happen to me in a while."

"I know. I mean, what happened today." Although she promised secrecy to Miri, she felt she owed Fíli the truth.

"And what happened today, sweetheart?"

He tried to act careless, but his muscles tensed and being naked, he couldn't hide his reaction.

"Your brother. Miri lives next to Silja's and she heard the commotion. Then, she came to tell me, and she asked for my secrecy, but I think you should know, being affected…"

"Thank you for telling me," he said after a short silence. "I did not think of the neighborhood, but I should have." He ran his hand through his hair to sign his frustration, and she reached there before he started pulling it. Her hand in his hair calmed him, and she continued to softly stroke him, until he calmed down again.

He placed his head in her lap and whispered in a strained voice.

"I will send my brother away for what happened today," he told her. "I hate it. I know exactly what happened and why, and still, I have to punish him, as the best solution. How fair is that?"

"It's not fair," she agreed. She did not have a real opinion, since she did not know the details.

…though she was aware of the painful parallels and contrasts between the brothers' actions.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for the reviews, Mjean, Aranel Mereneth and 'Guest', also for the follows/favorites! Yeah, Durin family drama again, but a push toward Alys. I will update once before Christmas, so stay tuned! SV


	14. Chapter 14

14

"I still don't understand him," Dwalin stated for the hundredth time the next morning.

"I do," Dís answered. She decided to make him understand, but she did not hold her hopes high. "He is young and lost and lonely."

"As I was once," Dwalin opposed.

"No. You had your brother and Thorin, you three were inseparable, in Erebor, during the march West, during the battles, during the built of Ered Luin, on the road… Trust me, I know."

"I don't doubt that. But still…"

"You simply can't understand."

"I don't. I accept that he needed someone, but it was a foolish way to go for it."

"You do foolish things when you are lost and lonely."

"He could have talked to you, or Fíli, or me, or Balin, or Glóin, or…"

"When?" Dwalin did not answer, so Dís continued. "We are busy. We were actually so busy keeping everything from him to preserve his freedom, and we have forgotten that too much freedom may suffocate you, and you become desperate."

"I know desperate. Lad should've known better." Dwalin grumbled, a bit ashamed, because he felt himself responsible too. Not for this supposed suffocating freedom (How could freedom suffocate? It's freedom!), but for his indecent behavior. "I've told him not to stick his cock into every hole he finds."

"Now, that's enough!" Dís snapped. "First: language. I'm still a Lady, the exact Lady, by the way, who gave birth to this lad, so please, have some respect for my sake if not for his!"

"Fine. Sorry." Dwalin looked sorry, so Dís took his hand in hers, and started explaining her point.

"Don't be angry at him. Look at me. It should not surprise me. Nor you."

"Your situation is different."

"It is now, but it wasn't." Dís sighed. She and Dwalin had history going back to their careless childhood, but she still kept things from him. "If you do not know the power of a lover's embrace in desperate times, I can't tell you. I can try to make you understand… but…"

Dwalin squeezed her hand.

"I knew what he was doing, not specifically yesterday, but usually. I never stopped him, because I did not want to take this pleasure and comfort from him."

"It's not your fault, Dís."

"There is an unnatural distance between my sons, Dwalin. It will grow now, and sometimes I wonder, how Fíli is doing so well, all alone…"

"Fíli's a good lad, you shouldn't worry about him."

Dwalins statement did not quiet Dís' guilt.

"And who would worry about him if not me?"

.

The Personal Royal Council has been called together along with Kíli and the others involved in the indiscretion-scandal.

"Thank you all for coming. It is our mutual wish to get over this issue as fast as possible."

Quiet, agreeing murmurs were heard, and Fíli felt more confident and more in control than the day before.

"I know it is a sensitive case for both of our families, and I bring the King's decision."

Of course he didn't, but Thorin shouldn't be bothered with such a thing. Who knows what his gold would whisper in his ears... Yet, he had to mention him. The myth had to be kept going on, and he gained more respect through Thorin's name than he got by his accomplishments. He wondered why no one ever questioned Thorin's absence, but he supposed Nori and Balin did a good job with the official tales. Even Kinja did not object.

"It was brought to our attention that Kíli, son of Dís and An, daughter of Venn were found in an indecent position together. They had mutually agreed to their actions. The owner of the house, Lord Kinja notified us about the case, who witnessed it with his daughter, Silja. Considering their mutual agreement, their actions are not against any law. For their indecency happened at another's home, they shall be reprimanded by the owner of the place, his decision approved by Prince Fíli. The King requires that Prince Kíli proceeds with his urgent mission without any delay. That is the King's decision."

Glóin coughed and mumbled something like ' _storm in a teacup'._

As it was anticipated, Kinja was outraged.

"What is this incompetency?" he shouted.

"This is our law." Fíli stood up for his decision with a smile.

"But…"

"It is a minor… incident, according to the King. Perhaps you should have kept an eye on your servant."

"But I am to punish them!"

"With my approval."

Lord Kinja took a deep breath, and planted a broad smile on his face. "Have you considered my offer?"

Fíli recalled the commotion his summary caused when he told his family about his blatant request.

"I have. It opposes Prince Kíli's mission."

"How exactly?"

"He is going on a journey as an envoy."

"When?"

"In a couple of days."

"Where? For how long?"

"For long, and for many places. These are confidential state affairs, I shall not discuss more details with you, sorry. King's order," he smiled innocently.

Kinja was thinking. Since Fíli did not specify, Kíli could be going anywhere, facing many danger, so he may come back wounded or maimed, or not at all. A hurried wedding ceremony would shed bad light on his daughter, too, and if he persisted to get them married when he comes back… Well, much can change.

"Alright. But I want to send the girl away. I don't need whores in my home," he spat angrily.

Lady Silja had the decency or the brain to smooth his rudeness.

"Father, please. I know you are angry, but no need to be offensive."

"Still, she can't stay in my service."

An was fidgeting nervously. Based on Alys suspicions, she could have been set up for this farce, so Fíli offered her to find her a new job, and then, swiftly ended the meeting.

Kíli stayed though, and Fíli braced himself for his burst of anger.

"Is this really happening? Am I kicked out of Erebor, our home, the Kingdom I fought a dragon for, because of a silly partner and her malicious, nosy Lady?"

"I'm sorry, Kíli, I…"

"I don't care. You are just the bringer of the news, who could by the way stand up against Thorin to get a better deal for me, but no, you are the perfect little heir, supporting all of his ideas. Don't think I haven't noticed that you stopped bitching about him since we came here!" Kíli gestured angrily, dismissing anything Fíli could have said. "I don't want to hear your excuses! I'm going now, it's not like I have a freaking choice!" He tried to stomp out of the room, but Fíli grabbed his arm.

"Kíli, I…"

Kíli turned back with such a force that Fíli had to let him go.

"Don't you listen? I don't care. I know that you want to say the pretty words, because you think that would make all nice and perfect again, but it won't, because you don't care, and I don't care either, and you know what? No one cares. No one cares about this whole snogging accident, and no one cares about your pretty words, because that's how life is, and you should do well to remember."

His words stung, and they were so not true…

"And where is Thorin anyway? I thought he had the balls to tell me himself, but see? He doesn't care either."

Fíli buried his head in his hands. Kíli still didn't know, the ignorant little brat, he managed to keep himself so busy with chasing his entertainment, that he did not notice their Uncle was gone.

Fíli loved Kíli with all his heart, but his love had become bitter lately. He did not want to turn his back on him, but Kíli had run away, and it didn't matter. He had to consider other things now, and Kíli will find his way back if he wanted to.

Fíli left the room, too, and to his surprise, he saw Nori leaning to the wall. A quiet word reached his ear:

"Hypocrite."

He made a few steps before the meaning of this word dawned on him. Nori knew. For a moment, he tried to pretend he did not hear or did not get the meaning, but surely Nori knew better.

With his next movement, he pushed Nori on the wall, a knife pointed at his neck. Nori looked startled – Fíli was a bit, too – but waited for the outcome in curious silence.

"I knew you would get the meaning," Nori smirked. "I like that you get subtlety."

"I hate your subtlety."

"Would you rather I tell everyone?"

"I would rather you lose your ears, and eyes, and tongue, and I'm in a very good position now to take all of them."

"Threats," Nori pouted. "You Durins are all so dull."

"Maybe, but effective, too."

"I'm not gonna blackmail you, I just wanted you to know that I know."

"What exactly?" Fíli growled. He knew, of course, but he had to be sure.

"You know…" Fíli pushed the knife a bit closer, merely to scratch Nori's skin, but Nori got the hint. "You're seeing someone in secret."

"Bullshit."

"Ah, you're good, but I've got you. Maybe I should talk to the little Lady herself. Alys, right?"

So he knew. The knife's point stilled dangerously, and neither Fíli, nor Nori knew if he would draw blood or take it away from his neck. Time slowed down, and Fíli was aware that he was foolish: threatening his kin over his mistake, yet… He could not let the truth come out.

"Hey, chill, lad, I'm not gonna tell!" Panic arose in Nori's eyes, and Fíli sobered. He put his knife away. "Mahal, you're fast. Don't you think you overreacted?"

"I don't." Fíli's mind was working to slow to his liking. What was he doing exactly? What should he do to Nori? "How should I know you won't tell?"

"It's not in my interest. As your brother eloquently put it: no one cares, until you keep your secret, to be precise."

Well, that was a relief, but also a stab to his heart. Kíli said no one cares; Nori couldn't possibly know what it meant to them. It was the utter ignorance and pointlessness of one's existence (theirs, actually), which enabled them to do so much and get away with when their closest family wasn't watching.

"You should be King in the near future, and the only thing I want from you is not to mess up. I get that you need her, that you deserve to have her, and I will help if you need it, but dare not get caught like your brother did. Not with her, not with anyone, and make sure she never tells."

That was a bit weird. He had already let Nori go, and now that he said his piece, Nori stepped aside from between him and the wall. He patted Fíli's shoulder sympathetically:

"I know it's a hard day, go find your lover."

"Wait," Fíli called after him. "How long?"

"How long do I know? You were careless yesterday. Since when?"

"The summer festivities," Fíi admitted smugly. Nori flinched.

"I had my suspicions," he stated, but still, he was played by Fíli for months, and it _did_ hurt his ego.

.

"Fíli, lad. Are you sure it is a good decision?" Balin approached him on his way to the family kitchen. Apparently, he was waiting for a chance to talk to him privately, and Fíli hated these talks.

"Yes. It is."

"You made it in the King's name."

Fíli nodded, raising an eyebrow as a sign that he wanted Balin to get to the point.

"You should have talked to us. We should have made this decision together."

"Do you disagree?"

"No, but…" Balin was looking for words to describe the uncertainty every time he felt Fíli's actions hurried. He was talented and understood politics well, yet often, Balin believed to see his mother's thoughtlessness in the way he made difficult decisions in haste with ease… And don't even start on his father.

"Then what is the problem?"

"I don't think it is the best solution."

"So you disagree, after all?" Fíli was disrespectful, and Balin's face reddened.

"I don't think Kíli is the best choice for such a mission. He is not very adept in delicate political situations, and he doesn't know about the relevant parts. He cannot answer the questions properly." Balin argued well, but Fíli was prepared – he always felt as if Balin was testing him, but he had had enough.

"Kíli is the best. His open personality will make good impression. His ties to Thorin verify his words. He would deny every accusation about Thorin's insanity, because he doesn't know better, and he would challenge anyone for the honor of our family," Fíli recited the points he went through last night. Actually, it was a brilliant idea. "He is the best possible person to stop these rumors from spreading. I was already considering him for the position," he lied smoothly, to end the debate. Balin was gaping like a fish. "May I go now?"

"Where?"

"To make up for the meal I missed because of my brother's untimely mistake. May I?"

.

 _Be here tomorrow, we can have lunch together._

Fíli counted on Alys to be there. Their last encounter ended with a promise, which never really happened before. He packed some food, and dreamed about the things he would do to her…

And she was indeed there, waiting for him, in a new deep red dress, which he instantly liked.

"What a seductress you are," Fíli kissed her.

"You're early," she greeted him. "Did it go well then?"

"More or less." He kissed her again. Food was only the extra, for he was hungry for something entirely different.

"What's less?"

"I hate myself. I should have taken him out, have a beer and compare our adventures with our ladies, not punishing him."

Alys found the idea of the brothers bragging disturbing and exciting at the same time.

"Would you tell him about me?"

"Not now. But before we reclaimed Erebor, we used to share everything. Not literally," he corrected, "we shared our stories, not women."

"Good to know." Then, Alys had a wicked idea. "Is your brother as good in sex as you? Better maybe?" she teased.

"No!" Fíli's expression darkened. "I don't share you."

"Elaborate, please, I would like to know if I am your possession." Her hurt tone made Fíli realize that maybe, he overreacted again.

"Sorry, I'm a bit jumpy today. Nori knows about us."

Alys paled. "Who is Nori?"

"Our professional spy and… well, he knows about everything. It's not a surprise, and not a problem. Don't be surprised though when he approaches you for 'getting to know you'. His real purposes are usually obscure, so be careful and don't fret. And most certainly tell me, because I think I can stop him. He sort of listens to me." Fíli was surprised how easily Nori bent to his will recently.

"Scary," she commented, acting unfazed, but Fíli saw her nervousness in the way she clasped her hands. He had to touch them, softly stretching her fingers to his, and inviting her into his lap. He loved her body, they fit so well, her comfortable, warm weight making him want to get closer and closer…

"I don't want you to be scared. You are safe with me. I can protect you."

"Yes, you can. But secrets are fickle, and your feelings and needs can change, or mine, or Nori's, or look at your brother's case… It's not protection that I need."

"Then what?"

Alys was thinking hard. She wasn't sure at all, and the last time Fíli had outright asked her about their relationship, she screwed up and drove him away.

"I like your attention. I like the things you do to me. Most of the time, I don't even know what I am doing, and you are always making me feel more confident."

"Sounds better than the last time," Fíli joked.

"I don't want to lie to you. We shouldn't do this." Alys had to stay firm on this one aspect, at the least. She had someone in Erebor – hopefully not Fíli – waiting for her. "And I know it will not end well."

"Why?"

"Because… just because."

"I want it to end well," Fíli whispered. "I am starting to realize how important you have become to me. You are giving me more than you think. You are the strength that raises me at the morning and the dreams which calm my mind at night. You are the force in my actions, the certainty in my decisions, the passion for my duties and the patience for my responsibilities. I felt lost, and you are the stars I follow and the stone that gives me home." Finally he looked her in the eyes. "I need you. I can't care about propriety or traditions, or a stranger's opinion. I care about you, and no one cares."

Alys was stunned. It was all beautiful and lovely, rainbow and unicorns, and she wanted to believe him, yet…

"What do you mean 'no one cares'?"

"That we can do anything." Fíli had seen the confusion in her eyes. "There are things that never change. They like a little scandal now and then, but they don't really care if it's about you or others, just not themselves. But when the heat of the scandal is gone, no one cares anymore. This is how Kíli and I lived. No one cared – and now, not even we do. But I want to care about you," he stated.

"Thanks, I guess…" They must have been weird dwarflings, it shouldn't surprise her knowing the adult version.

"You guess?" Oh, no, she said the wrong thing again.

"You lived your whole life by this rule, I need time to adjust." He let out the breath he held unconsciously.

"But do you want to be with me?"

"I guess for now… Look, Fíli, I can't promise you anything."

A pregnant silent preceded her last confession for the day. She wanted to come clean, not to mess up like the last time, because she wanted to keep Fíli for these actions, but not with deception.

"I think that I have met my One." She took a deep breath, but Fíli's expression made her explain quickly. "He must be here in Erebor, but I don't yet know who he is. As far as I know, he can be anyone, since I have met so many dwarves here…"

"And you need me for your physical needs, you mean?" Fíli asked, stifling a laugh.

"How do you know that?"

"I know. It's traditional knowledge. So that is why you are so horny all the time." His nose made way in her hair toward her ear, word by word, and by the end of his outrageous comment, his lips touched her earlobe, and the witty retort in her mind was lost.

"Yes," she said instead. "Please, continue!" Fíli chuckled next to her ear, his breath tickling her.

"Do you want more?"

"Yes."

"Here?" He touched her breast, happily discovering how easy it was to get under the fabric of her new dress.

"Yes."

"Any special wish?"

The food laid forgotten in the basket for a good while. When their lovemaking session ended, Fíli served her the meal, which actually led to another lovemaking session.

 _It's been a good day after all,_ Fíli thought. Alys made up for everything, and her confession about her One forced a smug smile on his face. She was clearly in the dark on this topic, and at first, he considered telling her what he knew, but a moment of hesitation killed the idea immediately.

She will stay with him now as long as he wants.

* * *

 **A/N:** I did it! I finished this part before Christmas. Now I will probably take a little break during the holidays, I have now idea how much time and internet I will have, but I'll be back.

This is actually the end of the first part of the story. I was even thinking stopping here and continue with a sequel, and I haven't decided yet. At least they are together now, sort of. They still have issues to work on. Thanks for reading it so far, and for the reviews from Aranel Mereneth, Mjean and gymgurl! I'm glad you liked it!

Sky

 **A/N:** 7/4/2016

Hi Everyone,

It's been a long time since I updated, I know. I'm sorry. I have no idea if I will ever update again, but I think this point may be a fitting end, and I'm changing the status to Complete.

If you are wondering about my reasons, well, I have only one, but a quite weird one.

This story came alive, sort of. I started a relationship with a guy and some elements of this story started happening in my real life. (Yes, I believe in these sort of powers. I don't know what to call them, but I think there are no simple coincidences.)

So, that's it for now. Thanks for the support, the favorites, follows, and especially, the reviews! :)

Sky


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